The Proposal
by messermonroeforever125
Summary: Mac finally gets the courage to pop the question. Not in any way related to the movie Smacked fluff.Ch 20 is up!
1. Will You Marry Me?

The Proposal

A/N: I don't own anything. If I did, this would be what would happen :]

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It was around 1:30 in the afternoon when Mac walked in to Stella's office.

"Hey, Stell. Do you want to go out for dinner tonight? My treat."

"Yeah, of course. That sounds great, Mac," Stella replied with a smile.

They had been dating for 7 months and 12 days. It's not like Stella remembered the day Mac asked her out or anything.

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_"Hey, Stella. Umm there's this case that I just got called to, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."_

_"Yeah, no problem. Where is it?"_

_"I think it's like 30 minutes away from here. Maybe we could catch dinner after that?" Mac asked hopefully. He decided that tonight would be the night that he finally asked her out. They had been best friends for over 10 years, and he just needed to tell her how he really felt. Regardless of how she felt, Mac needed to put his feelings out in the open._

_"That sounds perfect," Stella answered. They often went out to dinner after a long day at work, so she didn't read anything in to it._

_Once they had processed the scene and given the evidence to Hawkes to take back to the lab, Mac and Stella headed to the restaurant. They had just finished ordering dessert when Mac finally pulled up the courage to tell Stella how he felt.  
"Stell, you're my best friend, and I'm so glad you're in my life."_

_"I feel the same way about you too, Mac," Stella said while patting his hand.  
"But," Mac started, "I've been thinking lately, and I feel that we're more than friends. I love you Stella, with all my heart. I would put my life on the line for you. I know this may be a lot for you to process right now, but I was hoping we could take the next step in our relationship and actually consider ourselves a real couple." He was so nervous at what she was going to say. She was just staring at him until she finally said something._

_"I love you too, Mac, and I really feel the same way. Let's take that leap in our relationship. Granted, I've had my fair share of bad relationships, but I trust you."_

_With that, Mac leaned over the table and kissed her on the lips. Stella couldn't help but smile because this was the first time that hadn't just given each other a friendly kiss on the cheek. It was more than that. It was the start of something new, and she had to admit: she loved the idea of starting this journey with Mac. She felt like this relationship was going to be completely different than her previous ones._

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Stella finally snapped out of her daydream once Lindsay had walked in to her office to give her a heads up on the case they had been working on. Stella simply took the information from Lindsay, and she walked out of Stella's office. She couldn't wait until tonight rolled around. She just felt that something was different with Mac, and that was always a good thing.

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They arrived at the restaurant promptly at 8:30. It was their favorite Italian place, and they had both gotten the chance to dress up a little bit for the evening. They were chatting a little bit, talking about their respective days and how their cases were turning out. They were simply enjoying each other's company. Right when they were finished with dessert, Mac started thinking about how he wanted to phrase his question. He loved Stella so much, and he just wanted to make this moment so special.

"Stell, you know I love you right?"

"Of course I do Mac. I love you too."

"And we've been dating for quite a while, and I love where we are. Work is great, friends are great, and we're great."

"I completely agree with you," Stella reassured him.

"But for some reason, I still want more." It was then that he got up from his chair and stood right in front of Stella. Everybody in the quaint restaurant was starting to stare, but they all had smiles on their faces. He knelt down on his knee, pulled out a blue velvet box, and stared right into her green eyes. "Stella Bonasera, will you marry me?"

Stella immediately started to tear up, and she was at a loss for words. This man who had been her best friend and the person that she ran to when she needed someone to talk to was finally asking her to marry him. Stella could honestly say that she had never seen the day when Mac Taylor would be professing his love for her in a charming little Italian restaurant. She bent forward, and slowly kissed him. "Yes, absolutely," she answered with a smile on her face.

Everybody started clapping and cheering for them. It was not every day that you got to witness a proposal in New York City. Mac had chosen the small, personal type of proposal because that was the type of couple that they were. They never boasted their relationship to anyone, even though at times they felt like they couldn't contain their love for each other. Mac quickly paid for the bill, and they left the restaurant hand in hand.

"So when are we going to tell the team? I'm sure they'll be ecstatic!" Stella asked.

"Whenever you want to. It's completely up to you." Mac smiled.

"Ok. I'll think about it," Stella pondered. She didn't know exactly how she wanted to tell the team, or when for that matter, but she knew it had to be soon. She wouldn't be able to keep all of this excitement to herself!

"I love you so much, you know that, right Mac?" Stella asked, breaking him out of his own thoughts.

"Of course I do. Or else you wouldn't have said yes!" Mac laughed.

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't start with me, Mrs. Taylor!" Mac started.

"Mrs. Taylor. I could get used to that," Stella said.

Mac pulled her into a warm embrace and kissed her on her forehead. He was ready to start his new life with Stella, because he knew they were meant to be together forever.

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Hope you enjoyed it! Please click the button to review! I'm pretty sure I'm going to continue the story, and your imput would be greatly appreciated!


	2. The Team

The Team

A/N: I don't own anything, even though I really wish I did :]

Thank you to Berlian, x-gemarrr, and lily moonlight for reviewing. This chapter is for yall!

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Three days had passed since Mac had proposed to Stella. Mac was surprised that Stella hadn't told anyone yet, but he knew that she wanted to tell the team in a special day. They were all planning on heading down to the bar once their shifts were over and telling them there. Mac had already talked to Flack and Danny about meeting them at the club, and they took the initiative of telling Adam, Hawkes, and Sid. Stella was able to talk to Lindsay and Jess about coming with them as well. Everything was set for tonight, and both Mac and Stella were extremely excited.

Everybody was wrapping up their cases at the lab, knowing that what they were working on would be able to wait for tomorrow. They were all excited to unwind and spend the rest of the night with their friends. Or more like their family.

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They all walked in together, chatting and laughing about their day. Flack and Jess were retelling the story that Flack had to chase a perp about half a block to realize that he wasn't the right guy. They civilian just started running because he saw an angry cop chasing after him, and he had nowhere else to go.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up everyone," Flack sighed.

"Don, don' worry 'bout it. Everyone will forget about it until you chase another innocent guy down the street," Danny teased. With that everyone erupted into laughter again, and Flack punched him in the shoulder.

"That actually hurt, Flack. Way to go."

"Oh man up, cowboy," Lindsay said, earning her a glare from Danny.

Stella turned to Lindsay and Jess and asked them to go with her to the bathroom. She had to let a few people into the loop before telling the entire team. Who else to tell but her girls? She led them into the bathroom, and she could tell that both Linds and Jess were a little confused.

"Ok, what I am about to tell you cannot, and I repeat, cannot be spoken about outside of this nasty bathroom," Stella said as she looked around the cramped space. "The reason why we brought you guys here is because Mac and I have an announcement to make."

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Lindsay yelled, convinced she was completely right.

"Wow, nice try Linds, but way off. Mac and I are engaged!" Stella partially shrieked the last part because she was so excited.

Both Jess and Lindsay screamed and ran to give Stella a hug. They were both so happy for Stella and Mac, and they couldn't believe it had actually happened. They knew that Stella and Mac had been going out for almost a year, but they didn't know it was this serious. Regardless of what they thought, they were over the moon for the two of them. They were meant for each other, and the girls couldn't wait for Stella to tell them how he proposed. She gave the story in as much detail as she could in five minutes. They couldn't stay in the bathroom for too long or they guys would start to get suspicious. They walked out, calm, cool and collected.

Stella went to stand by Mac and asked him if he was ready. Everyone had a drink and was engaged in their own conversations that they didn't even see Stella and Mac holding hands. Jess and Lindsay were in a fit of giggles when Danny and Flack walked up to them.

"So what are you two laughing about?"

"Nothing," they said in unison.

"Oh yeah, you two are so smooth," Flack added.

"C'mon Montana, humor me. What's so funny?" Danny asked.

"Nothing, I'm serious!" Lindsay laughed while trying to keep a straight face.

"Ok, but you know I would like a good laugh. Please?" Danny asked with his best puppy dog faced look.

"Ok, but you have to promise me that you won't say anything ok?" Lindsay bargained. She looked at Jess for reassurance who only gave her a shrug which meant "Whatever you want to do is fine with me."

"Montana, I promise."

Lindsay motioned for him to come closer so that she could whisper it to him in his ear. Once she told him, his eyes opened like a deer in headlights.

"MAC AND STELLA ARE ENGAGED?!?! SERIOUSLY?" Danny yelled across the entire bar.

"DANNY! I told you to be quiet! You can't keep your mouth shut for one minute!" Lindsay scolded.

With that outburst, the entire team looked at Mac and Stella with smiles on their faces.

"Is that true? Are you two really engaged?" Hawkes asked, trying to confirm the Danny outburst.

Stella and Mac looked at each other, smiled, and said yes. It was then that the team came up to them to offer their congratulations and hugged them both.

"How 'bout drinks on the happy couple?" Flack laughed.

"Yeah, no problem," Mac answered happily.

With that, the team sat together, starting to throw ideas out for the wedding. Any passer-by could see that they were all so excited for Mac and Stella, and the entire team enjoyed each other's company. Everybody was so ready to be a part of the wedding planning process and couldn't wait for the actual day to arrive.

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Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked this chapter! It was pretty fun to write….reviews would be greatly appreciated, and I will love you forever!! Thanks again!


	3. Dress Shopping

Dress Shopping

A/N: I don't own anything even though I wish every single day :]

Thank you to jennabby, lily moonlight, and x-gemarrr for reviewing the last chapter…this one's for yall!

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Stella had decided that she would only do one thing today on her day off: go dress shopping. Lindsay and Jess promised to meet her in about an hour after their shifts were over, and they were going to go to dinner afterwards. As much as she loved her girls and valued their opinion on the dress, she wanted a little time just to look around herself. She wasn't even completely sure what type of dress she wanted, but she knew it was going to be white and either spaghetti straps or strapless. She was walking down the New York streets window shopping, but she just couldn't find a dress that spoke to her. Everything seemed so ordinary and overused. She stopped to buy a cup of coffee so that she could be re-energized for the next few blocks that she would have to walk around. It was when she was handed her coffee that her phone started to ring.

"Bonasera," she answered, not getting a chance to look at the caller ID.

"Hey Stell, it's me," Lindsay said. "Jess and I are on our way."

"Ok. Umm..meet me at the coffee shop close to lab, and we can walk from there."

"Sounds good! We'll be there in a few."

In about 10 minutes, Stella, Lindsay, and Jess were moving through the busy streets with one mission in mind: to find Stella's dress and the bridesmaids dresses. Stella had already asked both of them to be her bridesmaids the night that they announced the engagement. They were so excited that they ended up planning this whole endeavor themselves that night! The girls were walking by a small boutique store when they looked through the window.

"Oh my gosh, that's beautiful!" Lindsay said first.

"Gorgeous! Stell you should go try it on!" Jess pleaded.

"Ehh…I'm not sure. It doesn't even look like my type of dress," Stella answered.

"Are you kidding? Does Stella Bonasera even _have _a type of dress? Get your ass in there missy, or will we have to drag you?" Lindsay looked at Jess for a reassuring head nod.

"Yeah, Lindsay and I pushing you into a store. That's definitely not a pretty picture," Jess added.

"Fine, fine. But if it doesn't look good on me, I swear you're not going to live this down for a while."

They all walked in to the boutique and asked the assistant if Stella could try on the dress in the window. They got her size and put her in a dressing room.

"We'll be right out here if you need us," Lindsay clarified.

"Oh I'm sure you will. You two were the reason why I even came in here."

After about 5 minutes Stella walked out of the dressing room to stand in front of Jess and Lindsay. Both of them had jaws dropped, and they were staring at the dress.

"Yeah that's what I thought. I'll go change, and we can hit another store."  
"Shut up, Stell. Have you even looked in the mirror? It's absolutely gorgeous. It's perfect. Buy it now," Jess stated. With all of the wedding bliss going around, she couldn't help but think about her and Flack getting married, but that was completely beside the point. She was completely convinced that this was the dress for Stella.

"Seriously. Go look in the mirror and then tell us what you think," Lindsay said.

Stella cautiously turned around and just stared at the mirror. She couldn't believe it, but her friends were right. The dress was absolutely stunning. It was a simple white dress with beautiful embroidery and a chapel train. It had spaghetti straps, so it didn't feel like it would just slip off. It was in her price range, and she loved it. What else could she ask for? It was now _her_ dress.

"This is it. This is the dress I have always dreamt of. I'm not gonna lie, I was skeptical at first, but thanks for dragging my ass in here," Stella smiled. Jess and Lindsay rushed to give her a hug before letting her change. Within 10 minutes, Stella changed, paid, and all of them were out the door. They stopped for a quick snack, but were immediately focused for the task at hand: the bridesmaid dresses.

"So what were you thinking for us? Something absolutely mah-velous I'm hoping?" Jess laughed.

"I'm not really sure. I was just planning on letting you two try on a few dresses to get a feel for what you wanted. I'm kind of flexible with the dresses apparently."

"Wait, so Jess and I get to go crazy trying on dresses? This could get pretty interesting," Lindsay said maniacally.

"Hey let's stop in here. They usually have good dresses," Jess mentioned.

The girls walked in and started to look around. They pulled some dresses of the racks to try on, even though they weren't all absolutely stunning. But what is dress shopping without pulling a few dresses you know look hideous? A laugh or two was a great thing on days like this. Lindsay and Jess stepped into their dressing rooms and immediately started to try them on. Stella was sitting, waiting for them to come out and show her the dresses and ask for her opinion.

Lindsay walked out first with a dress with a mix of olive and forest green. Stella didn't even know if it was still considered green. Jess quickly followed with a dark yellow dress.

"Ok, Linds, hate to say it but it looks like someone just threw up on you. Jess, you look like a banana with that color. Next ones, please," Stella laughed.

They both tried on a few more dresses, but none of them liked the ones that they were trying on. Both Lindsay and Jess had one more dress in their rooms. They tried them on and walked outside. Surprisingly enough, they were both periwinkle yet they were different styles. But lucky for them, they styles that they were wearing completely suited them. All three of the girls agreed that those were the dresses, changed, paid, and were ready for some dinner after the exhausting scavenger hunt for dresses.

"So what do we want for dinner?" Stella asked.

It only took a second for all of them to look at each other and in unison say "Chinese".

They found this small Chinese restaurant a few blocks up the street and settled in there. They finally got a chance to chill out and talk about wedding plans and their significant others. Stella asked Lindsay and Jess whether they thought maybe Danny and Flack would pop the question any time soon, but both said no. As much as they wanted to get married, they were perfect where they were. The girls spent the next few hours eating and enjoying each other's company. It was definitely a perfect day when you got to spend it with your best friends.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter! A review would be greatly appreciated!!! I need some ideas to work with please :] Thanks again!


	4. Tux Hunting

Tux Hunting

A/N: I don't own anything. Wish I did.

Thank you so much to Berlian, csi-ncis, x-gemarrr, and lily moonlight for reviewing the last chapter. Please keep reviewing! X-gemarrr thank you for the encouragement to write this chapter on the tuxes. This one's for all of yall! :]

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It was a late Saturday afternoon, and Mac had asked Danny and Flack to go tux shopping with him. He most likely could have gone by himself, but he needed reassurance that the tux he was going to pick would be the perfect one. After all, he had to look perfect for Stella. The only way he was able to convince his friends to come with them was by assuring them that some drinks and dinner would be included with today's escapades. Nevertheless, they were all kind of excited to start shopping, no matter how manly they were.

They were walking by a few stores when Danny spoke up.

"Ay, let's go in here. This Ralph Lauren looks nice."

"Yeah let's go Mac. It looks pretty decent," Flack added.

"It better be more than decent if we're getting Ralph Lauren," Mac scoffed.

They walked into the store when a guy who looked to be at most 28 walked up to them.

"Hello gentlemen, how can I help you today?"

"Yeah, our friend here is getting married soon, and he needs a tux. What can you get him to make him look nice?" Danny asked.

"Oh well congratulations sir. Here, I'll set a few things in the dressing room and you can try them on."

"Thank you," Mac answered politely.

"You go on and try your fancy tux and Danno and I will be standing out here waiting," Flack encouraged.

"Fine. But you two don't go anywhere. I know that you're awfully tempted to just run off like a bunch of little kids. Stay put."

"Mac, c'mon. We only did that once," Danny tried to reason. Well, maybe three times.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't go anywhere. I'll be done in a second."

After about 5 minutes had passed, Mac walked out of the dressing room. He was wearing a black tux, bowtie and cummberbund, and white dress shirt underneath.

"Woah! Mac is back in black!" Danny said.

"When have we heard that one before Dan?" Flack asked amusedly.

"Yeah be quiet. It looks good Mac. Stella is gonna love it."

"Yeah, Mac. It really does look good. She'll say you look handsome and all that lovey dovey stuff. You should buy the tux," Flack mentioned, making sure he was able to put his two-sense in before they left the store.

Mac walked over to the mirror next to the dressing room and just stared. He couldn't believe that his wedding day was approaching quickly. Hell, he couldn't believe he was marrying Stella. His best friend and confidant. Everything was absolutely perfect.

"Alright I'll get it. You two need to get your tuxes as well. Don't want to put it off til the last minute as always."

"No worries. We already got that taken care of yesterday, so we're good to go," Danny clarified.

"Should I really trust that you two already got this done and that it looks half way decent? Really?" Mac asked skeptically.

"Yes," Danny and Flack said in unison. They both knew that if they hadn't picked out their tuxes before today that it would just cause a whole other commotion. It was hard to believe that one of their best friends was actually getting married. Let alone the fact that he actually had the guts to pop the question first out of the three of them. Both Don and Danny could honestly say they weren't that brave, even though it was something they both wanted. No matter what though, they were really happy for Mac and Stella.

Mac pulled all of his stuff together, handed it off to the guy that was helping them out earlier, and they were out of the store in a flash.

They headed over to the bar a few blocks down from where they were. They all wanted some time just to relax and hang out in the company of friends. They walked in comfortable silence as they thought about the wedding. Mac was remembering when he asked Flack and Danny to be his groomsmen. They were both excited to be given the honor, besides the fact that Flack felt the urge to add a wiseass comment in there about how he would've been surprised if the hadn't been asked. But who would Flack be if he didn't throw in a wiseass comment here and there? Once they reached the bar, they ordered a few beers and some food. They sat in the booth talking about some upcoming stuff that needed to get finished before the wedding. Mac and Stella were planning on getting a new apartment once they got married, so Mac asked Danny and Flack if they could help him set up stuff and move things around so that it would be completely finished by the time the wedding came. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect by the time Stella actually got to see it completely redone.

They sat around laughing and talking for a few more hours. Everybody was getting excited the closer the wedding date was approaching. After about three hours of hanging out, the guys decided it was time to go home to see their girls. They were all glad though that it turned out to be a pretty fun day, and couldn't wait for the actual wedding day to arrive.

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Por favor, press the button to review! I would greatly appreciate it!!! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :] ~messermonroeforever125


	5. Rehearsal Night

The Rehearsal Night

A/N: I don't own anything. Still wishing on my lucky stars though. :]

Thank you sooo much to x-gemarrr, PrincessTemperance96, and shewhorunswithvampires for reviewing my previous chapter. It means a lot to me! This one is for yall!

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Mac and Stella sat in the church, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. They were going to have a run through of the ceremony, and then everyone would head back to Mac and Stella's new apartment for the rehearsal dinner.

"I can't believe it Mac, we're actually getting married in 2 days!"

"I know. It's kind of surreal if you ask me. Who would've thought I'm getting the chance to marry my best friend and the woman I love?"

"You have two women there, Taylor. She better watch herself cause I'm not sharing that altar with her!" Stella laughed.

"Yeah, I'll make sure she keeps a low profile," Mac smiled. "But really, these last few months couldn't have been more perfect getting to plan our wedding."

"Definitely agreed," Stella said, sealing her words with a passionate kiss.

"Hey you two, save it til your wedding night," Flack said, walking in with the team in tow.

"Yeah yeah," Mac answered, still staring at Stella.

"Alrighty, so is everyone ready to get started?" Stella questioned once everyone was in the church.

"Yes we are. And as maid of honor, I believe it is my duty to get everyone set up for where they are supposed to be for the grand entrance," Lindsay explained.

"Sure, why not Montana," Danny answered, laughing at the fact that she was taking charge at Mac and Stella's wedding rehearsal. But that was his Lindsay.

Lindsay settled everyone into place for the procession. Jess and Don would walk in together, followed by Danny and Lindsay, the maid of honor and the best man. Sid was going to give Stella away, and Hawkes and Adam were the lectors for the readings Mac and Stella had chosen out. They had made sure that they incorporated every one of their closest friends in to the wedding, wanting them to be as much a part of the wedding as possible. That was what family did: share the special events with those they loved.

Once the run through was completed, they made sure that nothing was left undone for the big day. They checked around the church and were certain that everything was in place for Saturday. The last thing anyone wanted on their mind was that something was out of place. They all filed out of the church, ready to head over to the apartment for some great food and quality time together.

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By the time that the team stepped into the apartment, they could smell wonderful Italian food cooked by Danny's mother. Once she heard that Mac and Stella were getting married, she was the first to offer her cooking expertise to them. They took her up on that offer for the rehearsal dinner, knowing full well that they weren't going to have any time to make things themselves. They opened a few bottles of wine for the guests, and the guys got some beers. They sat and chatted for a while, waiting for the last few bits of the dinner to get served. Once they all sat down at the table and it finally clicked with Lindsay that they were eating Italian food, and she started to think. _How come every time Mac and Stella have some sort of announcement to make, they serve us Italian food? The engagement, when I was being brought in as the new CSI, any promotions. There has to be a reason for the type of food!_

"Stella, you're pregnant!" Lindsay yelled, meaning for it to stay in her head instead of blurted out. _Dammit. Nice one, Linds. Way to go_.

"Excuse me?" Stella laughed nervously. "Where did that come from?"

"The Italian food."

"So Italian food speaks to you Montana? Smooth," Danny added.

"No. I mean, any time you two have an announcement, you always get us Italian food. I've noticed."

"Linds, Jess, can you two come with me to the kitchen?" Stella said, yanking them with her into the next room. "Linds, how did you find out? I told Mac not to tell anyone yet til after the wedding." Lindsay and Jess stared at Stella in disbelief. Mac hadn't said a word, he had just found out a few days ago. But it all made sense, Stella wasn't drinking any wine when they opened the bottles, just water.

"Wait, so you're telling us that little Miss Loudmouth's comment over here was right? Are you kidding me?" Jess asked.

"Yeah…I just took a test a week ago. I was just as shocked as you two are."

"Have you told Mac yet? You can't have this hanging over your head before the wedding," Lindsay explained.

"No, really? I thought I would just say it in our vows. Something along the lines of 'through good times and bad, sickness and health, when I'm puking my guts out every morning cause I'm pregnant with your kid'. Yeah, just peachy. I told him a few days ago."

Jess and Lindsay screamed and gave Stella a hug. They couldn't believe it! Mac and Stella were going to have a family of their own. They both knew that Mac and Stella would make fabulous parents. They walked back to the dinner table with smiles on their faces.

"Everything ok in there you three?" Hawkes checked.

"Yeah, just talking about our favorite soap opera. They finally got together after like 10 years of secretly being in love."

"You don't watch any soaps, Linds. Do you?" Danny pondered.

"It's something I know, and you won't find out," Lindsay answered seductively.

"Ok, moving on," Jess said.

The team continued to enjoy each other's company talking about the wedding. Everyone had pre-wedding jidders because they wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for the big day. It was hard to believe that it was less than 48 hours away. The team was finishing up the delicious dinner and starting to head home. It was getting late, and everyone needed their beauty rest these next two nights. They said their goodbyes, and Mac and Stella were finally by themselves in their apartment.

"Have I gotten the chance to tell you I love you today?" Stella questioned.

"Yup, just about a dozen times."

"Well, make it thirteen. I love you. The rehearsal dinner was perfect. Thank you so much for everything. Only two days left!" Stella squealed.

"I know. It's hard to believe, but I'm very excited. I love you," Mac replied kissing Stella's lips softly. "And I love you too, buddy," Mac said, kneeling down to Stella's stomach.

Stella laughed at his cuteness. She could tell that Mac was going to be a great father; she could just tell.

"Alright, let's go to sleep! I'm exhausted," Stella tried to say while suppressing her yawn.

They walked into the bedroom hand in hand. They could only think that in less than 48 hours, they would be Mr. and Mrs. Mac Taylor.

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So what did you think? Please please please with a cherry on top review the chapter! All you have to do is press the little green and white button!!! Thank you! :] messermonroeforever125


	6. The Big Day

The Big Day

A/N: Hey sorry it's taken me longer than usual to update. I've been thinking about how I wanted this chapter to go, and I hope it was worth the wait!

Muchas gracias to lily moonlight and x-gemarrr for reviewing the previous chapter. It means so much to me! Please keep reviewing!

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Today was the day. Stella couldn't believe that it was finally here. She was staring in the mirror in the bride's room at the church in silence. So many thoughts were running through her head that she couldn't place them all. She felt like she was going insane! She snapped back to reality when she heard someone open the door. She looked to the corner of the mirror to look backwards and saw that it was Lindsay, wearing the periwinkle bridesmaid's dress. Stella couldn't believe that it was a little over three months ago that they were sitting in the dress shop, criticizing every dress Jess and Lindsay tried on.

"So are you ready? I can't believe today's it. How do you feel?" Lindsay asked.

"I think I'm ready. I've been waiting for this day my entire life. And who better than Mac? I'm nervous, excited and almost every other single emotion that you can put together. Plus the fact that I'm hormonal is an added plus."

"Hey, we have about 10 more minutes. All of the guests are already sitting down in the church. By the way, you look beautiful, Stell," Jess mentioned when she walked through the door.

Stella couldn't help by smile at herself. This was it.

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Mac was sitting down in a chair, staring out at the wall. He couldn't believe that in about an hour, he would be married to his best friend, and they would become the family that they always wanted. Have the perfect life they always dreamt of together. Mac could honestly say that there was nothing else he wanted more in life than to share it with Stella and their future family. Don and Danny walked into the room that Mac was in, and they stood beside him.

"You ready?" Danny asked. "We gotta go out there in like 5 minutes or som'in."

"Yeah, I actually think I am. But I don't know why I'm so nervous. I love Stella, and trust me I wouldn't want to be getting married to anyone else, but I can't shake these nerves."

"Don't worry 'bout it. I think that's supposed to be normal. Hey, Danno and I will be there the entire time. You know we got your back."

"Thanks Don. That really means a lot to me."

"K, well let's get this show on the road! We gotta head out there!" Danny added.

And with that, the three guys were headed outside to line up for the procession, while Mac made his way to the altar.

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Everyone was lined up for the procession. While waiting for the music to queue them in, they stood together talking quietly amongst themselves. Don and Jess were holding hands, whispering words of encouragement to each other. Danny and Lindsay chatted for a little bit, finishing with a quick kiss. Sid and Stella stood at the very back of the procession. Sid could tell immediately that Stella was shaking.

"You're going to be fine. You love him. You know it, all of us know it. If we didn't believe in you two, we wouldn't be here. Just listen to your heart. We're all here for you, so just breathe!"

"I know. Thanks Sid. It really means a lot to me that you're here with me. I couldn't imagine anyone else walking me down the aisle." With that, Stella took one long, deep breath, and the music started.

* * *

Don and Jess started to walk down the aisle, large smiles on their faces. They split when they got to the altar to go to their respective sides. Following them were Danny and Lindsay. They got to the altar and looked at each other to give themselves reassuring smiles. This was it. Their best friends were actually getting married. Once the Wedding March began to play, all of the guests stood up and looked at Stella. When Sid led her down the aisle, everyone around her seemed to not exist. The only person that she saw was Mac, standing at the front of the altar in his tuxedo. She couldn't help but shed a few tears by the time that she was actually standing there with him, hand in hand. This was the moment everyone was waiting for. The day when they finally became Mr. and Mrs. Mac Taylor.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera in holy matrimony…"

The ceremony continued beautifully, the team being able to be a major part of it. Hawkes and Adam read the selections picked out for them, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were looking on. Nobody could believe that the entire ceremony went by so quickly. From the wedding vows to the exchanging of the rings, excitement could be felt in the air.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Everybody looked on as Mac and Stella had their first real kiss as husband and wife. The guests were smiling and laughing. They walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, to the outside of the church. The guest followed outside, and watched them drive off in the car that was waiting for them. Don, Danny, Hawkes, and Adam had all met up the day before to decorate the car. They all wanted to surprise Stella and Mac, and they had decided that it was just a small part of their wedding gift.

Once Mac and Stella had driven off to get to the reception, the guests were getting into their cars ready to dance the night away. The team stayed behind for a little bit to make sure everything in the church was cleaned up, and that they took what was theirs. After they were sure everything had been picked up, they headed into their respective cars to drive to the reception. The night was just getting started.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please please please review because I would love your opinions. Thanks again :] messermonroeforever125


	7. The Reception

The Reception

A/N: I know it took too long for me to update! I just got back from camp 2 days ago, and the first thing I thought was that I needed to update my story! So hopefully after this long wait, you really like this chapter!!! Love love love always messermonroeforever125

A huge hug goes out to x-gemarrr, csi-ncis, and jennabby for the constant reviews. I love yall and please keep reviewing!

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Mac and Stella were outside the reception hall with Danny, Don, Lindsay and Jess taking pictures while the guests got situated inside. They took plenty of posed photos, as well as some candid ones that Mac and Stella would be sure to love. The joy on everyone's faces could be seen for miles away. Of course, Adam, Sid, and Hawkes all came for their respective pictures as well. The team went inside the hall, waiting for the happy couple to make their entrance.

"Ready, Mrs. Taylor?" Mac asked.

"That's never going to get old, is it?" She beamed, a huge grin across her face.

"Never".

They walked in, hand in hand, and they still found it hard to believe that all of these people were there to help celebrate their marriage and beginning of a new family. They couldn't help but smile and laugh as people came up to them to offer their congratulations. Mac and Stella walked around the hall a little bit to greet people, but were immediately swept off to the dance floor for their first dance. "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" by Frankie Vallie started to play. Mac led Stella to the floor and literally just stared into her eyes.

"I love you so much," he whispered into her hair, swaying in time to the music.

"We love you too," Stella mentioned, not being able to refrain from using 'we' instead of just 'I'.

They added a few twists and turns into their dance, and the crowd clapped to encourage them. They bowed at the end and headed to their seats, ready to eat some dinner.

They looked around at every person that was at the reception. They both were so happy that everyone was able to attend and celebrate this special day with them. Both Mac and Stella even took a little time to remember how those people had touched their lives in one way or another. They were broken out of their thoughts when both Danny and Lindsay stood up from where they were sitting and took microphones in their hands. Any sane person knew that either Danny or Lindsay with a microphone meant one of two things: trouble or embarrassment.

Mac and Stella were excited yet fearful for what they were going to say in their speeches. They looked on though, hand in hand, ready to face their situation with an open mind. They saw that Danny was going to speak first.

"Hey, for those of you that don't know me, I'm Danny Messa'. I've been working with Mac and Stella for 'bout 5 years at the crime lab, and even though it can be hell sometimes, I've loved every minute of it". With that last statement, the crowd started to laugh. "None of us could really believe the day that Mac and Stella had actually told us that they were dating. Granted, since day one, all of us had been waiting for them together, but ya know, that's a whole different story." Mac stared at Danny, and he got the point. "So I guess what I'm tryin' to say is thanks for everything you two have given me in my life. I wish you two the best of luck with your marriage, and I love the both of you." Danny walked over to give both Mac and Stella a hug. It was now Lindsay's turn. Danny couldn't help to get a little nervous himself, full knowing what his Montana could say.

"Hi, I'm Lindsay Monroe. I've been working at the crime lab for about 4 years now. I think all of us can say that we've watched this friendship blossom in to something more. I know that I can say for everyone here that we're so happy for the both of you. I remember my first day at the crime lab; I was a nervous wreck, and I was immediately sent into the field right when I got there. When I saw Mac, I was pretty intimidated. Not to mention the fact that my boyfriend told me to call him "Sir", but anywho, Mac has been like my dad away from home. It's not easy to go from being a country girl to a city girl in a few short hours." With the 'sir' comment, Lindsay gave Danny a glare. He'll never be able to live that down for the rest of his life. She continued on with her speech. "Stella was so kind and willing to help me to adjust to the whole new city thing. She made me feel right at home, and I'm so glad to call her my best friend. So on this special day, I just wanted to say that I'm so happy for you two. You are going to have a wonderful life together, and I know you'll make great parents in just a few short months!" The crowd started to look around at each other. Danny slid his hand down his face in defeat, and Jess stared with her mouth wide open. Even Lindsay couldn't believe what just came out of her mouth. _Lindsay! Why does this always happen to you! You need to learn just to shut up once in a while! _

Mac and Stella had no other choice then to steal the microphone from Lindsay to officially give their announcement.

"It's true! Mac and I are going to have a baby in about 7 months."

Screams and cheers could be heard all around the hall. Guests were coming up to Mac and Stella to congratulate them on their spontaneous announcement. Once they had gone to sit back down, Lindsay walked up to them with a shy expression on her face.

"Look you two, I'm so so sorry! I didn't mean for it to come out of my mouth, but you know what happens with me when I'm thinking something. I just can't keep my mouth sh-"

"It's ok, Linds. Really, it is," Mac comforted.

"We were going to tell people eventually, and why not sooner rather than later right?" Stella offered with a genuine smile on her face. "Now come on! Let's go have some fun! I don't want to not enjoy myself at my wedding reception!"

The hours passed quickly with dancing, good music, and family all around. The team was able to hang out together, retelling stories of their first days at the lab, and how Mac and Stella acted towards them. They even got the chance to throw in some random memories that they had had together. The guests started to leave around 12 am, but the team hung around for just a little longer. The helped load some presents into their car, and waved to Mac and Stella as they drove off.

"So that's it. They're actually married," Flack commented while keeping Jess in a tight embrace.

"Yup, and none of us really saw it coming for a while," Danny replied.

"And they're having a baby!" Lindsay squealed. "This is utterly perfect," she smiled, giving Danny and hug and a quick kiss.

With the final comments, the team parted their separate ways, secretly wishing that this perfection could somehow come to them.

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So there's the reception!!! I hope yall enjoyed it! I'm thinking of maybe doing a fast forward a few months before they have the baby to see how life is treating them, but I'm not sure. Please review!!!! I need your opinions! Haha…thanks again! Mucho amor! ~messermonroeforever125 :]


	8. Hey Baby Baby

Hey Baby Baby

A/N: so let's just pretend that we're able to fast forward to Stella's 6th month. Everything has been perfect in the Taylor household, both Mac and Stella eagerly awaiting their little bundle of joy.

Besitos a jennabby, sucker-4-SMacked, lilymoonlight, x-gemarrr for the reviews. Please keep them coming!!!!

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Mac and Stella were sitting at the table eating breakfast. Mac was reading the paper when he was suddenly distracted by Stella's foot taping. He reached out his arm and held her hand, a signal that she needed to calm down.

"What's up?" He asked, trying to find out what was bugging her.

"Nothing really. I just can't wait for my doctor's appointment today. We're finally going to be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl! I'm kind of nervous though. I know shouldn't be, I mean we just want a healthy baby right? Right," she finished, answering her own question.

"Stella, look at me. Whether we have a boy, a girl, or even an alien for that matter, they'll be perfect. I can promise you that."

Mac's alien comment cracked a smile on Stella's face, helping her calm down just a little bit. They had both been waiting for what felt like an eternity to find out the sex of the baby. The minute they found out, Mac said that he would start getting ideas for the nursery. Don and Danny had already agreed to help out with the painting and assembly required to make the room just perfect. On that same note, Jess and Linds promised to take Stella shopping the next day to start picking out the furniture they wanted to have in the room, as well as the perfect little one-sies to line the drawers.

The appointment was at 1 so that Mac and Stella would be able to go together during their lunch break. Danny was going to be in charge during the time that they were away, so the lab was in good hands. Everyone was still hoping for a pretty slow day because the less that needed to get done, the happier everyone was. It was crushing Stella that she wasn't able to go out into the field as often, but Mac was trying to find other assignments to keep her busy. A lot of the time she would just stay in the lab helping process evidence so that she would have to constantly be on her feet. But at the end of the day when people were getting ready to go home, Mac and Stella were grateful for the nights that they could spend together eating dinner and prepping the house for the baby. They both knew that it would take a lot of work to get ready, but they didn't think it was this time consuming!

Mac and Stella finished getting ready and headed over to the lab. It was a typical day, with only one major case needing to be solved. Mac and Lindsay headed into the field, getting ready to process the scene. Before he walked out the door, Stella made him promise to be back in time.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he answered.

* * *

As the hours passed, Stella kept a close eye on the clock. Anticipation was building with every movement of the minute hand. _Stay focused. You have to get some of this paperwork done before you leave. _

She did exactly what her brain told her: finished the work that was in front of her. She didn't even bother to look at the clock until she crossed the last 't' on the folder. As she was getting ready to place it on Mac's desk, the corner of her eye caught the clock.

"SHIT!"

She rushed to find Danny as she exited Mac's office. It was already 12:37 and the doctor's office was at least 20 minutes away with good traffic.

"Danny, you're driving me to my doctor's appointment. There's no way in freaking hell that I'm missing it. "

"What about Mac?"

"I'm calling him now, just get your ass in the car!"

"A'ight, just calm down. I'll get you there," Danny reassured.

Stella frantically dialed Mac's number. She was relieved to hear his voice on the other end.

"Taylor."

"Mac, Danny's driving me to the doctor's office. Go ahead and drive over there, and we'll meet there."

"Crap! Ok, I'll be there in about 15 minutes. I'm headed into that part of town because of the scene. I love you," Mac finished.

"I love you too. See you in a bit."

With that, all four of them were off to the doctor's office. Thankfully, they were all able to get there about 5 minutes late, just in time for Stella to be called in. Lindsay left her car and rode back to the lab with Danny, leaving Stella with the words that she had to be the first called with the good news or she would have to kill her.

* * *

"Stella Taylor," the nurse called into the waiting room.

As Mac guided her through the doorway, they were led into their room. The nurse asked a few basic questions and told them that the ultrasound technician would be in momentarily.

"This is it," Stella said, grasping Mac's hand. "We're finally going to find out whether we're having a little boy or girl!"

"Can't wait," Mac said rubbing her stomach.

Just then, the technician walked in.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Ready to find out the sex of your little bundle of joy?"

"Sure are," Stella answered with a smile.

"All right, sorry if this is a little cold," she said, applying the gel to Stella's abdomen. She pulled the probe out and started to move it around. She took a few measurements, and checked to make sure that everything in the pregnancy was going smoothly. After a few minutes of silence in the room except the baby's heartbeat, she finally started conversation up again.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, everything is looking perfect. It looks like you're going to have a healthy baby girl. Congratulations."

Mac immediately pulled Stella into a kiss, his happiness being able to be read all over his face. He looked into her eyes and could see her joy as well. They were both ecstatic and couldn't wait to tell the rest of the team. The technician printed out two photos from the ultrasound for them to be able to carry around. Their little baby girl looked so beautiful.

They walked out of the doctor's office hand in hand after scheduling their next appointment. They climbed into the car in comfortable silence.

"This is so unbelievable! We're going to have a little baby girl joining us in less than 3 months. This couldn't be any more perfect."

"I couldn't agree more," Mac replied leaning over the arm rest to give Stella a kiss on the cheek.

When they reached the lab, Lindsay was the first person to run to Stella.

"Is it a girl? 'Cause imagine a cute little baby girl running around the lab that we could all look after and play with. Aww! It is isn't it? You're not denying it!"

"Yes, Linds, we're having a baby girl," Stella smiled.

"AHH! We're going shopping as soon as we get off our shifts. I'm going to call Jess. Ah! I love you two!" She gave them each a quick kiss and ran back to her desk with her phone in tow.

"So from Montana's shriek heard across the lab, I'm assuming you two are having a girl?" Danny asked.

"Yup, we're going to have a little baby girl," Mac answered.

"Congrats you two. You deserve it," He gave Stella a hug and shook Mac's hand. "We'll go celebrate later on with the rest of the team."

Once they got the chance to go back to their offices, Stella went to sit down. She immediately started to rub her stomach and talk to their daughter in a soft voice.

"Hey baby girl. It's me mommy. I can't wait to see you in a few months. Daddy and I are so excited to let you meet everyone in the lab, cause you know they're just going to be loving on you all the time." She laughed at the last comment. Both she and Mac knew that their daughter would never get put down from the arms of the team if it was up to them. Stella felt the baby kick a little bit and couldn't help smile to herself. Even though she was nervous as hell, she couldn't wait to be a mom. She also couldn't wait to see the day that her Marine husband would change their daughter's diaper. Kodak moment number one. Stella sat back and closed her eyes for a little bit, thinking nobody needed her for a little bit. The whole time, Mac was watching through the glass windows of his office while Stella was talking to their daughter.

Daughter. He still couldn't fathom the idea that they were having a baby girl. But it made him so happy to be able to have 2 such important girls in his life. He promised to try to be the best father in the world. Mac couldn't wait for the day when he and Stella would be able to hold their daughter in their arms.

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So what did you think??? Please review because I will love you forever!!! Besitos ~messermonroeforever125 :]


	9. We've Got More Toys than Toys 'R' Us!

We've Got More Toys than Toys 'R' Us

A/N: Inspiration for the title comes from a camp song. :] Anywho, I don't own anything, but I'm still waiting for the day I do.

Abrazos a sucker-4-Smacked and x-gemarrr for the lovely reviews. Keep em coming!

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The team was sitting together in Don and Jess' apartment for their monthly dinner. Ever month, they would pick a new house to go to, and from there it kept rotating. Everybody loved that night because they actually got a chance to relax and feel like a normal group of friends. But tonight was different, for a good reason of course. Everyone had a gift for new baby Taylor which they would give to Mac and Stella tonight. After dinner was over, they planned on surprising them with the gifts. The team wanted to make sure that their first little CSI had a piece of each of them to remember them by. Hopefully when she got older, she would look back at the gifts and think of each one of her "aunts and uncles", as Hawkes put it.

Everybody got their food and went back to sit at the table. Conversations could be heard throughout the apartment. Some were talking about the day's cases, while others were talking about their own families. The holidays were approaching quickly, so a few visits here and there were very common. The team was laughing and having a good time as Stella went back for a second helping of the delicious ham and sides Don and Jess had prepared.

"Whoa there Stella, sure you want to go back for seconds just yet?" Danny teased.

"I'm hungry, Danny, so I'm sorry if that bothers you. I'm a freaking whale, I know, just say it!" Stella said as she began to cry.

Mac was immediately by her side. "No, no, Danny was just teasing you. Like old times, Stell. Nobody here thinks you're fat." He looked around to the team to just some reassurance. They all nodded their heads. "Go have whatever you want, ok?"

Stella just shook her head as she dried her tears and went for more food.

"Nice job, wiseass. You had Stella crying. You should know that you never say stuff like that to a pregnant woman," Flack reasoned.

Danny went to go talk to Stella, feeling the need to apologize.

"Stell, I'm so sorry. I don't think you're fat, you know that right?"

"Yeah, it's just sometimes I overreact a lot. Sorry if I freaked you out."

"So we good?"

"Yeah, thanks Danny," Stella answered, pulling him into a hug.

Dinner started to wind down as people started to clean up the table. Don and Jess started to do dishes as everyone else started to meet in their living room. The team was trying to remember where they had placed the gifts, and they were relieved when Adam found them in the bedroom. As Don and Jess were heading to sit down, Lindsay stood up and started to give her speech on the gifts Mac and Stella were about to receive.

"As you know, you're going to have a little, precious baby girl in about 2 months. All of us came together and started to talk about what we wanted to do as a gift to you two and the baby. We finally decided that we were each going to give her a present that she could keep to remember us all by, so I guess here we go!"

Mac and Stella were both surprised and excited. Their team was so loving, but they never thought they would do something like this. Danny was the first person to stand up to give them his gift. He gave Mac and Stella the present first, and he started to talk after it was half way opened.

"I wanted to give her a softball and bat 'cause you know her favorite uncle is going to take her out to the batting cages the day she's old enough. Plus, I can come over and throw the ball around with her to work on her arm, but I already tell she's gonna be a great ball playa," Danny smiled. He went to give Mac and Stella a hug as Hawkes was ready to give them his present.

They started to open it as he spoke. "Remember how I told you that Operation was my favorite game as a kid? I'm hoping your little girl can share that same love and possibly become a doctor?" he laughed. "Just don't get mad if the first time she plays all you hear is the little beeping noise. It's a hard game for a 5 year old!" Mac and Stella gave him a hug and thanked him for the gift. Next up was Adam.

"Uh, ok so my gift won't be able to get used until she's older, but I got her a Sesame Street learning video game. She'll be able to have fun while she's learning how to count and read and stuff. I thought it was pretty cool. Heck, I can come over and teach her how to play, and we can have some bonding time," Adam smiled.

"Thanks Adam, it's great," Stella replied.

Don stepped up to give them his present next. "You know how we're always running to try and catch perps right? I decided that I would give her some good shoes to start running around in."

"Aww! They're her first pair of Nikes!" Stella held them up to show how little they were. They fit perfectly in the palm of her hand.

"Thanks Don" Mac said.

Sid stood up and started to talk. "So I recently found out about this place where you can stuff animals and dress them and everything, and I decided that I would stuff one especially for your little girl." He pulled out the box that you take the bear home in and handed it to Mac. Mac pulled it out and started to laugh. It was an adorable light brown bear, but Sid bought little glasses to put on him. "I think she'll recognize I gave her the bear because of the glasses." He gave both Mac and Stella a hug and went to sit down. The only two people left were Jess and Linds. They both went into the bedroom to go get their gift. It was a pretty large box, and nobody knew what was inside.

"Ok, so first, Linds and I came up with this idea when we were just walking around the lab. I know, what inspiration. But we got to thinking how we could make our gift really personal and something you two especially would cherish forever."

"So we decided to walk into the lab with a camera and just start taking pictures of the team. Some silly and goofy, others being pictures of us hard at work. I think we may have gotten a picture of you two while we were in there. So go ahead and open the gift to see what exactly we did with the pictures," Lindsay urged.

Both Stella and Mac started to open the box, and just stared inside. They couldn't believe it, but Linds and Jess hand made them a beautiful quilt. The squares were light pastel colors, and almost every other square had a picture of the team. Some were individual pictures, while others were group photos. Mac and Stella were even able to spot a few of the two of them together. The pictures captured the essence of the lab, the team hard at work but still having time to act goofy and have fun.

"It's beautiful you two," Stella said with tears in her eyes.

"We figured this way, she'll never forget any of us. She'll look at this quilt and think of her parents and her loving 'aunts and uncles'," Jess smiled.

"It's amazing. Thank you so much," Mac said, standing up to give them a hug. "And we loved everybody's gifts just the same. It was so great that everyone thought of something that would reminder our daughter of all of you. Both Stella and I are so happy that you get to be a part of her life, and we know that you'll look out for her no matter what. We love you guys, and you're our family. It's plain and simple. "

Mac and Stella gave everyone a hug, and started to gather their stuff together. It was getting late, and everybody was tired after a long day at work. They thanked Don and Jess for the meal and for letting them use their house as the meeting place this time. It's nights like tonight that everyone remembered that the team truly was one big happy family that was there for each other every step of the way.

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So what did you think? You can hit the white button to give me a review!!! It would be such an awesome thing to see!!! Love Love Love ~messermonroeforever125


	10. Paint, Fate, and Dinner Dates

Paint, Fate, and Dinner Dates

A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but planning for vacations can be really hectic! Hope you love this chapter!

Besitos a lily moonlight, x-gemarrrr, sucker-4-SMacked, and jennabby for the lovely reviews. Keep em coming!

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Mac was sitting around the house, waiting for Stella to finish getting ready for her night out with the girls. With the baby coming in a little over a month, she found it nice to have one night every once in a while to just have girl time. Jess and Linds had promised her dinner and baby shopping for this beautiful Friday afternoon. Mac had told her that he was just going to hang out around the house, but really, he had other tricks up his sleeve. He had called Don and Danny the week before to come over and help set up the nursery. Stella had done more than hint at what she wanted in the nursery, and Mac only wanted to make her happy. Everything was currently residing in the guest room closet because Mac knew that neither one of them ever stepped foot in there. It was the perfect hiding spot for the accessories.

Stella walked down out of the bedroom with her purse in hand.

"You look great, Stell," Mac complimented.

"Thanks babe. Jess should be over in about 5 minutes to pick me up. We're going to go look around at a few stores, but I promise we won't go too crazy," Stella said with a cute smile. She knew that with a few things they were going overboard, but what could you expect? It was their first child.

"That's all I ever ask," Mac responded while taking a seat on the couch. He had to be as chill as possible so she wouldn't figure out what he was up to.

"Oh by the way, I think next weekend we should make it our goal to finish the nursery. The baby's coming in like a month, and we don't have anything done."

"How 'bout I go look at some stuff today, and we can pick out colors and everything when you get home?"

He tried to keep a huge grin off of his face because Stella was completely clueless. Hopefully it would make the surprise even better.

A knock on the door was heard, and Stella went to give Mac a kiss.

"Sounds great. Be back around 10. Love you."

"Love you too." Mac looked at the clock. It was only 5. What could they possibly do for 5 hours? But the more time he had, the better.

Once he heard Stella, Jess, and Lindsay get in the car and drive off, he called Don.

"Hey Don, the coast is clear."

"Yeah I know. I followed Jess about 5 minutes after she left the house and hid in the street over until I saw her drive off from your house. We're good. Oh yeah, and I have wiseass with me. He was complaining about how he was hungry."

"Yeah, we have stuff in the fridge. Danny can eat something here."

With that, Mac heard the engine of Don's car cut off outside his house and Danny yelling at Flack for calling him a hungry wiseass.

"Thanks for coming over guys," Mac said laughing. Those two were always bickering about something.

"So where do we start?" Danny asked.

"Go get something to eat first, and meet Don and I in the nursery. We need to do the first coat of paint on the walls and set up the crib while we're waiting for it to dry. We'll make sure the rest of the furniture is set up, do the second coat of paint, and just hang out for a little. Once we're completely sure that it's all dry, we'll move in the furniture and add the final touches to the room such as pictures. Any questions?"

Danny and Don just stood there dumbfounded.

"I can't believe that you planned all of this already," Don mentioned.

"Well, we should probably get started. Meet us in there in no more than 5 minutes Danny. I mean it. We have to get this done, and it has to be perfect."

"A'ight, boss. I'll be in there in a sec," Danny absent mindedly said while moving towards the kitchen.

Mac got the pink paint cans and a few brushes. He brought them into the room and handed one can, brush and pan to Don. They got started immediately, and once Danny joined him after his food escapade, they were able to finish the first coat in about 30 minutes. But now the tough part came: assembling the crib.

"First off, let me tell ya that I have no freakin idea how to set up a crib," Danny stated.

"Me neither, but doesn't it come with instructions or some'in?"

"Yeah, here. Read it out to me and hand me the parts. Hopefully that way, we can finish this quickly," Mac offered.

Don started to hand him the parts as Danny read off the instructions.

"What the hell is this? I don't even understand what it's saying!" Danny yelled.

"Lemme see," Don said yanking the manual out of his hands. "You're reading the Spanish side asshole." He threw the manual back at Danny's face, and they started from scratch. Once that problem was resolved and after an hour of hard work, they finally had an assembled crib.

"It looks great."

"Thank God we got that the hell out of the way," Mac commented. "Now we just have to go do the 2nd coat if the 1st is dry. They made their way back to the room and checked the wall. It seemed to be dry enough for the second coat, so they were armed again with brushes and pink paint. Nothing could be more manly than that.

They were able to do the second coat a little bit quicker because they got the hang of the brushes and not clumping the paint. Once they were finished, they took a step back and admired the work. The room was already starting to come together. They had added a few purple accents on the side, which made the room even more beautiful. The guys made their way into the living room and turned on the TV. They all let out a sigh once they sat down because they hadn't noticed how tiring setting up a nursery could be. Everyone was happy to have about an hour off to just chill; each of them definitely deserved it. Mac looked at the clock after their brief chill session, and it was already a little past 8.

"Alright men, let's finish this job."

"SIR YES SIR!" Danny and Don joked. They had that down pat every since Mac had first told them that a few years back. Marine training never wears off.

They took the rest of the furniture into the nursery as Mac directed them to wear it was to go. Once everything was in place, they were able to accessorize the room. The guys went to the guest closet and pulled out multiple framed pictures and all of the gifts the team had given Mac and Stella. They placed the quilt neatly on the side of the crib, they placed the toys around the room, and they put Sid's bear on top of the dresser. All of them could be seen right when you walked through the door. Next, they had to position the framed pictures they had around the room neatly. They had pictures of the team, Mac and Stella together while they were dating, goofy pictures at NYPD charity events, and last but not least, the most recent ultrasound picture. Mac, Danny and Don split up with the pictures and started to hang them around the room. Once they were all in place, Mac brought out one empty frame that he hung up above the crib; it was going to be the first official picture of the Taylor Family.

By the time all of the shenanigans were over, it was about 9:45. They said their goodbyes, and Mac thanked both Don and Danny one last time. The room looked fantastic. The last thing that Mac had to was just wait for the girls to come back home. He couldn't wait for Stella to see the room.

Mac dozed off, but was quickly awakened by the girls walking in laughing and carrying about 5 bags of clothes and shoes in tow.

"So how was your night?" Mac asked half asleep.

"It was so great! You have to see everything that we bought! I'm sure you'll love it."

"Don't look at the receipts until you've fully imagined your baby girl in these cute little outfits, ok Mac?" Lindsay ordered.

"You'll love 'em, I can just feel it," Jess added.

"Well, I think I have something that you'll all love," Mac replied.

He covered Stella's eyes and led her down the hall. Jess and Linds followed behind eagerly, trying not to make too much noise to not ruin the surprise.

"Oh. My. GOD!" Jess and Linds said in unison and Mac uncovered Stella's eyes.

"So? What do you think? Too much?" Mac questioned to try and get some sort of audible response out of Stella. She was dead silent.

"It's perfect. You did all of this for me? Well, technically for her," Stella said teary eyed and pointing to her stomach.

"I did it for both of you. Well, not just me. Don and Danny deserve some of the credit too."

"You mean our wiseass significant others deserve credit for this work of art? I didn't think they had it in 'em," Jess laughed as Stella carefully made her way around the room. She was still completely shocked. Everything was perfect, from the gifts to the pictures, to the overall ambiance of the room. She stopped in front of the crib when she noticed the empty picture frame.

"What's up with the blank picture frame?"

"Well, I had thought about what we would be missing to make this room perfect. We had the ultrasound picture and the pictures of the group and us two, but I left it blank so that we could put our first family photo in there."

"You actually took the time to think about that? AWWW!" Lindsay gushed.

"It's perfect. Just simply perfect. The color of the room, the crib, the gifts, everything. I don't know how else to describe it. I love you," Stella said, sealing those words with a kiss.

"Alright, well Linds and I should get going. Hope you had fun today, Stell."

"I had a blast. Thanks again, and I'll see you two tomorrow." She led them to the door and came back to see Mac.

"As much as people say it, I truly believe we were brought together by fate. You know me better then I know myself because you were able to pull off something like this. It's exactly what I wanted for our daughter," Stella explained.

"Me too. It sounds corny coming from me and a lot better from you, but I do have to say that I feel the same way. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

They sat in the nursery in comfortable silence, dreaming about their daughter and how her presence would make their family perfect.

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Sooo? How was it? Tell me in a REVIEW!!! That would make my day!!! :] Love Love Love always ~messermonroe125


	11. Rain, Rain Go AwayOr Maybe Not?

Rain, Rain Go Away…Or Maybe Not?

A/N: On vacation. Haven't had enough time to update in like a week. Hopefully the wait was worth it!!! All rights go to the food brands. movie, and songs I mentioned. I don't own anything…God, I wish I did…

Hugs to sucker-4-SMacked, x-gemarrr, lily moonlight, and saturn567 for the fantastic reviews!!! Please keep 'em coming!

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Stella, Lindsay and Jess were sitting in the Taylor house watching _He's Just Not That Into You_ and eating junk food. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and the girls had a day off. They wanted to spend at least one last day together before their little of bundle of joy was supposed to arrive, seeing that the due date was in two weeks. Obviously, the best way to watch a movie included the pitter-patter of rain right outside your door. They were all in their pajama pants and had 2 large blankets sprawled across them; granted, Stella basically had one of the blankets completely to herself. Right on top of the coffee table where their feet were, every type of junk food imaginable was at their disposal. From Ben and Jerry's _Chunky Monkey_ to _Cheetos, Doritos and Lay's_, they were set for the rest of the evening.

"Man, I have no idea what I would do if Danny wouldn't call me when he says he will. I would probably have a freaking heart attack and then yell at him when he actually called," Lindsay explained.

"I may have kicked Flack's little white ass to the curb if it was a regular thing. Hell, I may have spiked his coffee with something," Jess stated, sitting and thinking the multiple ways she could possibly torture Flack.

"You two are so horrible! I would give Mac another chance. I think," Stella reasoned.

"Hello. Earth to Stella. You're pregnant and hormonal. Your regular self would most likely be agreeing with us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I can't wait for this to be over already. I'm freaking huge. Look at me! I took the whole blanket from you two and ate more than half the stuff before the movie had even started."

Stella looked out the window as Jess and Linds exchanged glances. They knew when pregnant Stella started to daydream they needed to distract her.

"Hey, how bout we go out for a nice walk in the park after the movie's over?" Lindsay suggested.

"Are you blind? It's raining outside, and I'm not willing to get completely soaking wet." Stella answered.

"A rain walk every now and then can be pretty fun. I used to take them in Montana, and it was quite entertaining if I had to say so myself."

"OH! I got it. You still have speakers around here somewhere, Stell?" Jess asked.

"Yup."

"Linds, you have your iPod right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"So then we can jam out to our favorite songs! Hello, perfect plan."

Stella gave a small smile, thinking how much fun it could be. Junk food, movies, and good karaoke type of night? That could possibly be the best girls' night in a while.

"Sure. Why the hell not!" Stella agreed excitedly.

"So actually, what are we waiting for? Break out that iPod, Linds!"

Lindsay ran to her purse, fished out her iPod and chose their first song. Jess and Stella immediately figured it out as Lindsay was busting out her best "Robot".

_Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I've traveled the world and the seven seas. Everybody's lookin' for something_

They were all laughing and singing along for the duration of the Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams'. By the end, they were almost hysterical from Jess' attempts to sing the song with a serious/angry look on her face and Lindsay's awkward dance moves. Plus, none of them knew every single word in the song which is always an added twist.

"I got one. Maybe. I don't really know if you two can keep up with the modern music these days, but we'll see." Jess explained while yanking away the iPod from Lindsay. Just as Lady GaGa's 'Boys Boys Boys' came on, Lindsay and Stella looked at each other and burst out laughing. They both knew that Jess was the only one out of the three of them that would have this song memorized. She started to sing along and got out of her seat; all of a sudden, Jess also busted out her best impression of the Running Man. Stella and Lindsay lost control then and there. Even though they were only able to sing along to a few parts, they had fun never the less.

"Jess, to sum that performance up, I would have to say that it was YouTube worthy. We would have millions of hits," Stella managed to spit out through the fits of laughter.

"Well, as crazy as that comment is, I'm taking it as a compliment," Jess said, plopping herself on the coach after the tiring number.

"Any other requests?" Lindsay asked.

"Nope, just something relaxing I think. I've seen enough terrible dancing for one afternoon," Stella joked.

"You're just jealous of our sweet dance moves," Jess justified while earning a thumbs up from Linds.

Stella all of a sudden looked out the window to see that it stopped raining.

"Hey I' m starting to get hungry again and am having a craving for ice cream. You two in?"

"Stell, we have ice cream in the freezer, we don't need to go out," Jess pointed out.

"Not any more, Ice Cream Monster over there ate it all. You would think that she was the pregnant one instead of me!"

"What?! I just really like ice cream!" Lindsay yelled.

"Fine, we shall go out to get you your ice cream. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let me just go to the bathroom," Stella answered.

As Stella made her way to the bathroom, Lindsay and Jess got all of their stuff together for the car ride to the ice cream shop.

"Man, I can't believe she's going to have the baby in two weeks. It's so close, yet so far," Lindsay said.

"Wow, how poetic of you. But I know what you mean. I'm pretty excited though! It'll be fun to have another little girl around the lab every once in a while," Jess replied with a smile.

Stella stood by the doorframe of the bathroom and called out to Lindsay and Jess. "Hey guys, I think the ice cream is going to have to wait a bit. My water just broke."

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Thoughts? Suggestions? All would love to be heard in a review!!! Please click the little button cause it would be FANTASTIC to hear your thoughts on the chapter!!! Love Love Love Always ~messermonroe125


	12. A Crossover or Two

A Crossover or Two

A/N: So I guess this is the guy's perspective of last chapter. The girls got to have a fun afternoon, so why not the guys as well! :] Muchas gracias a x-gemarrr and sucker-4-Smacked for the idea to write this chapter. As always, don't own anything but if I did, this would be happening already!

Besitos a Saturn567, Miyukiseta, sucker-4-Smacked, KJL, nikyjlo101, and x-gemarrr for the fantastic reviews. Keep 'em coming please! I love them!!

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"And you think you're gonna beat me? Yeah, high hopes Messa," Flack joked.

"Hey, I used to play basketball in high school for a rec team. Don't give me that crap that you're betta than me," Danny replied.

"Ok you two, calm down. I can't believe that I actually agreed to come with you two to play," Mac grumbled.

"Well, what else were we gonna do? The women got your house for the afternoon, and you know Danny and I's places are hell holes compared to yours. So, this was the best thing for all of us to spare us from seeing Danny's underwear hanging around everywhere for the rest of the day."

"That was only one time, ok! And I had just finished showering, so I didn't have time to pick up the place."

"And of course, I'm sure Lindsay just loves seeing your dirty laundry everywhere," Flack taunted.

"Seriously, guys? If this is how the entire day is going to be, I'm just gonna back away slowly."

"I'm sure Stella wouldn't like to hear that you spent one of your last days of freedom before you become a daddy doing God knows what on the New York streets without your two best friends," Danny smiled.

"Fine, let's just go in and start the game."

Don, Danny, and Mac walked into the courts and saw a few games going on already. They spotted a basket in the very back of the gym and set their stuff down on the benches nearby. Flack got the ball out of his duffel bag and passed it to Danny.

"Well, because wiseass over here seems to be so confident in his 'high school' abilities, we'll let him take Mac and I on," Flack explained.

"Why the hell not? It'll make victory even sweeta'." He lined up at the top of the 3 point line. "Check." He bounced it to Mac who was guarding him, and Mac checked it back.

Danny started easing his way forward, eyes locked on Mac's. He knew that if he was going to even attempt getting past Mac, he was going to have to fake him out. He did a small crossover into his left hand, got around Mac and headed straight for the basket. Right as he was going up for a beautiful left handed layup, the ball was smacked out of thin air by Flack.

"Haha. Who's the better playa' now?"

"Nice one, Don!" Mac said, encouraging his teammate.

"Shut up, Flack. I'll get you back sooner or lata'. Just wait for it."

Flack reached the 3 point line to check the ball to Danny, who checked it back. Flack easily bounced the ball around Danny's right side to Mac, who made an easy layup. This easy defeat continued for the next 5 baskets.

"You two think you're so great. I'll come back, I can feel it," Danny threatened.

The defeat just kept coming from basket to basket. Both Mac and Don could tell that Danny was getting exhausted from the constant beating that they were giving him. Mac decided to give him an easy way out.

"Hey, how about we stop now, and nobody needs to know the score. Deal?"

"No deal!" Danny yelled, mimicking the action of slamming down the small box on Deal or No Deal. "I just need one more time to prove that I was the true winner of this match."

"Fine, but only one more shot. I'm starting to get tired and hungry."

Mac handed the ball to Danny who stood at the top of the key. He knew that he had to pull out all of his awesome skills into this one shot. Mac came in front of him to guard Danny, and the 'checking ritual' ensued. Once Danny had the ball back in his hands, he put his soul into the shot. He made a quick crossover to get past Mac and threw the ball between Don's legs to catch it behind him. With the ball in his hands for about 2 seconds, Danny was able to make an incredible slam dunk that had both Don and Mac stunned.

"YEAH! Who's yo daddy now, huh?" Danny yelled in victory.

"Smartass, did you ever think to keep track of the score. Mac and I slaughtered you. It was 27 to 1. Sorry! Plus, you definitely traveled on that one," Don high fived Mac, who was laughing at Don's comment.

"Well, it's the final basket that counts!" Danny said, trying to make himself feel better about the horrible defeat.

"How about we go for some dinner on me? There's a great pizza place right next door," Mac offered.

"Yeah sounds great. Hold on though, I think that's my phone," Flack replied.

Flack picked up the phone immediately after recognizing that it was Jess' number.

"Hey babe, how's the girls' thing goin'? WHAT?! Are you kiddin' me? I'll tell him right away. 'K, love you too, bye."

Flack hung up and quickly turned to Mac.

"Mac, Stella's water just broke. Lindsay and Jess are taking her to Queen of Mercy right now. We gotta go!"

"Oh my God," Mac said with wide eyes. He ran to gather his stuff and ran to the car. Danny and Flack quickly mimicked his actions and hopped into the car as soon as possible.

"We're only like, what, 15 minutes from here? You'll make it, boss," Danny encouraged.

Mac pulled up to a red light outside of the basketball courts and let out a sigh. "Holy crap, I'm gonna be a dad."

"You're ready for it. You'll be a great father," Flack soothed.

"I hope so…what if I turn out to be a shitty father that doesn't know what to do when he holds his kid for the first time? I'm so screwed."

"You'll be fine. We all know it," Danny mentioned.

"Thanks guys," Mac replied, starting to drive again.

What happened after that occurred so quickly, none of them could have prevented it. Mac leaned down to reach his cell from his duffel bag, not being able to slow down for the red light. Next thing they knew, they were in the middle of a four way intersection with a white minivan turning left into the driver's side of the car. All three of them put their hands above their face to shield the glass from causing a worse injury. Once the impact was over and the air bags deployed, Danny started to turn around in the back seat.

"You guys ok?" Danny yelled.

"Yeah, I'm cool. You?" Flack answered.

"Fine. Mac are you 'k?"

There was no answer. "Mac?!?" Flack yelled this time. From the front seat of the passenger side, Flack was able to check on Mac. He checked his pulse for some sign of life.

"Shit, there's a small pulse, but he's completely unconscious. Call an ambulance, now!" Flack ordered Danny.

"Please let him be ok," Danny whispered before he was connected to an operator.

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SO???? I know, I left yall hanging! I'm sorry! But I would love to hear your thoughts in a review!!! Click the button!!! Love Love Love always ~messermonroe125


	13. I Wish We Could Stop This and Rewind

I Wish We Could Stop This and Rewind

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry for another late update pero school is back in session. Fantastic. Anywho, hope yall love this chapter! Sorry for the cliffhangers lately, but doesn't it just make life a little more interesting? :] I don't own anything (including song where my title came from) but hope I do soon.

Besitos a JackSam, saturn567, sucker-4-SMacked, and x-gemarrr for the awesome reviews. Keep 'em coming!!!

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Within five minutes of Danny's call, the ambulance was at the scene pulling Mac out of the car and placing him on the stretcher. Danny and Don were able to ride in the ambulance as well after having explained the situation. Both of them decided that once they got to Queen of Mercy they would talk to Lindsay and Jess about the next plan of action, seeing that Mac was most likely going to have to go into surgery immediately. Not only was he still unconscious, but the paramedics believed that his left shoulder was pretty damaged in the accident.

They made it to the hospital in roughly 10 minutes, and Mac was quickly wheeled in to have tests run. The doctors knew that once there was a diagnosis, they would be able to decide whether Mac actually needed surgery. Danny and Don asked a nurse walking down the hall what level the maternity ward was on, but they wouldn't be able to get by her that easily.

"Sir, do you understand that you're bleeding above your left eye?"

Danny wiped his hand quickly on the left side of his face and saw blood once he looked at his hand.

"Ya know, it's not that big a deal, jus' a little cut, tha's all."

"Nope, you're definitely going to need stitches," the nurse told him in a stern tone. "And you, you're gonna need some'in to heal those burns on your hand," she mentioned while looking at Flack's injuries. "Both of you are comin' with me."

"Look, as great as that would be, we can't. Our friend is in labor, and her husband was just in a bad wreck with us and is gettin' taken down to get tests done. We have to go talk to our girlfriends who are with her now," Flack explained.

"As sorry as I am for you two, it's hospital policy that I make sure you're taken care of. So whether you want to walk yourselves or you want me to put you on a stretcher, you're comin' with me. The sooner you do, the sooner you can leave and go see your friend."

With that last statement on their minds, Danny and Flack went with the nurse and got their respective stitches and band-aids. What was only about 30 minutes felt like hours, and they knew that they had to find the girls as soon as possible. The nurse directed them to Labor & Delivery, and they spotted Lindsay on her phone around the corner. They didn't hear her talking to anyone, and right at that moment, Danny's phone start to ring. Lindsay turned around and ran over to Danny and Flack.

"Oh my God! What happened to you?!? Are you ok?" She frantically questioned.

"Yeah we're fine. We just got into a car accident," Flack answered.

"A CAR ACCIDENT! What the hell guys?!? Why didn't you tell us anything, we were worried sick! None of you were answering your phones, and we knew you'd only be about 20 minutes away. Where's Mac?"

"Montana, that's what we came to talk to you and Jess about. Mac was driving the car before the accident, and –"

"Oh my God, is he dead? Please say no…" she begged with a worried face.

"No, he's alive, but he was going into surgery before we got up here. After the tests were completed, they saw that something was seriously wrong with his left shoulder from the impact, and they wanted to check it out. If Stella has the baby today, then there's obviously no way he's gonna be there for her."

"Shit…I hope he's ok. What are we gonna do? We can't just go in and tell Stell that her husband isn't gonna be there for the birth of their first kid!"

"How is she now? And where's Jess?" Flack asked.

"Jess is in there with her. Stella's better 'cause she's completely jacked up on meds from the Epidural, but at this point, that's probably a really good sign. Well, we'll play this by ear. Hopefully Stella won't catch on right now, and we can have some time to formulate a plan. Us three can figure it out, and then I can switch spots with Jess so Stella doesn't get suspicious. Any ideas now?"

"Well, we all know that the person that's gonna tell her Mac can't be with wit' her is gonna be one of the two of you. It's definitely better hearing it from a girl instead of a guy. And then you can be in the delivery room wit' her when she has the baby. Boom, problem solved," Danny explained.

"As crazy and stupid as it sounds Cowboy, it's gonna have to do. I'll switch spots with Jess now, and you two can explain the accident and the plan of action." Lindsay hugged Danny and kept him in the embrace for a while. "I'm so glad you're ok. I don't know what I would do without you," she whispered into his ear. She drew back and gave him a kiss, followed by another kiss on his fresh stitches above his eye.

Lindsay turned and walked into Stella's room; the anxiety about having to explain the entire situation to her was building with every step she took. She walked in and saw Jess sitting next to Stella reading a magazine.

"Hey, your turn for the bathroom break, Jess."

"Finally! I've been holding it for like 20 minutes!" she exclaimed while running through the door. As she turned the corner, she spotted Flack and Danny, each with band aids all over them.

"What the hell? Are you two ok?" Jess asked, genuinely concerned, while giving Flack a hug.

"Yeah but Mac's not…" Flack started as he retold the story.

* * *

Stella was laughing at Jess' bathroom run when she finally asked, "Hey, did you get a hold of the guys? It's been quite a while since they said they would get here."

"About that. I don't want to freak you out, it's nothing too major, but they got into a car accident," Lindsay began.

Immediately, Stella's eyes began to tear up. "Are they ok?" She asked through a soft cry and her hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, in fact Flack and Danny are outside."

"Where's Mac? Is he with them?"

"Stell, Mac was driving the car when the accident happened. The car ran into the driver's side and hurt his left shoulder pretty badly. When they got to him, he was unconscious, but he did have a small pulse. He's in surgery right now, and I know he'll be ok. He's tough. He'll pull through it."

Lindsay tried to comfort Stella as best as she could once the tears really started to flow.

"He's not even gonna be here for the birth. What am I supposed to do?" Stella managed to get out through the tears.

"You know Jess and I are going to be here the entire time, right by your side. So feel free to squeeze my hand as hard you want, just make sure it doesn't fall off," Lindsay said with a smile. Stella gave a small smile back, reassuring Lindsay that she could pull through this. Stella began to wipe the tears from her cheeks and sniffled a little.

Jess walked back in, followed by Stella's OB/GYN.

"All right, Stella, let's see how far along you are now." The room was silent for a few seconds until the doctor finished her examination. "It looks like you're fully dilated, so we're going to get ready to push now, ok?." The doctor got up to get prepped.

Stella turned to Lindsay all teary eyed. "Linds, I'm really scared. I wanted Mac here, no offense to you and Jess, but-"

Lindsay grabbed Stella's left hand. "It's ok. We totally understand. But you're going to have a baby. Like now. And she's going to be the most beautiful little girl ever."

"Yeah, so don't focus on anything else but yourself and your little girl for just a bit. We're here for you Stell, but it's all you from here," Jess added, squeezing her right hand tightly.

"Are you ready to meet your new baby girl?" The doctor asked with a smile sitting in front of her. Stella looked at Lindsay and Jess for encouragement. Both nodded back with huge grins on their faces.

"Yeah, I think I am," Stella said quietly, yet confidently.

"Well, there's a contraction coming. On the count of three, I'm going to need to you to take a big breathe and push. One…two…three…"

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How was it?!? Leave me a review please!!! It would totally make my day! Literally. It would make my monotonous day 10 times better if I got to read a review :] Love Love Love always ~messermonroe125


	14. Just A Dream

Just A Dream

A/N: Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated, but school has consumed my life! I'm not particularly a fan…but what can you do. So as yall may have figured out, the story is starting to come to a close. By no means is this the last chapter, but there's probably only a few chapters left. Thank you times a million to all of you who stuck with me and this story! :] Oh yeah, don't own anything (including title), blah blah blah.

Un abrazo grande para sucker-4-Smacked, saturn567, Icabot, JackSam, Catulicious, and Fallen Angels of Love for the awesome reviews. Keep 'em coming!

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The entire room was a blur to Stella. All she knew was that Lindsay and Jess were holding her hands, and she was apparently having a baby. Nothing was really processing because it had all happened so quickly.

"C'mon Stella, just one last push and you'll get to meet your baby girl!" her OB/GYN encouraged.

Stella dug deep for that last ounce of determination she knew she had in her. She was incredibly exhausted and wanted it all to be over, but she had to just push one last time. She breathed in, clenched Lindsay and Jess' hands, and gave the final push. With that, her daughter gently dropped into the doctor's hands and started to cry.

When Stella heard her baby cry, she sat back and closed her eyes, trying to make sense of everything that just happened. Lindsay and Jess were congratulating her and saying how beautiful their niece was. Everything was perfect until she realized again that Mac wasn't here. His surgery was supposed to be over by now, but she hadn't heard anything since before the birth.

The doctor's voice snapped her out of her thought process. "You're little girl's a healthy 7 lbs, 8 ounces. Does she have a name yet?"

Once Jess and Lindsay heard this question, the both turned to look at Stella for an answer. "Yeah, her name is Zoe, Zoe Mackenzie Taylor. Mac and I picked it out just last week," Stella replied with a smile.

"Do you want to meet her? She's quite adorable if I had to say so myself," her doctor mentioned with a laugh.

Stella nodded as the doctor placed a clean, pink Zoe on her chest. Immediately, an incredible amount of love just poured out of her as she softly spoke to Zoe. "Hey Zoe, it's mommy. _S'Agapo_." She fixed her little pink hat on her head to make sure it didn't fall to her eyes and sealed her action with a kiss.

Lindsay and Jess stood in amazement of the picture before them. Neither one of them could say or do anything but smile and think to themselves. Both of them wanted exactly what Stella had at that moment: a great husband and beautiful daughter, and feeling of uncontrollable love, and joy. Jess was the first to break the silence between them.

"Hey, I'm going to go check on Mac's surgery and the guys. You need anything before I get back?"

"No, I'm good. Hopefully everything's ok with the guys."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be back in a bit. Don't try to steal that beautiful little niece of ours while I'm gone ok? I need some time with her too," Jess laughed as she left.

"I can't make any promises!" Lindsay shouted behind her as Jess walked out the door.

Jess spotted Don and Danny in the waiting room chairs as she turned the corner. Both of them got up and ran to Jess to see how everything went.

"How is she? Did everythin' go cool?" Don asked.

"Yeah, Stella's great, baby Zoe's beautiful. Now all we need is a husband to go with that perfect family, and we're all set! How was Mac's surgery?"

"It went well, at least tha's what the docta said," Danny answered.

"Any word on when his anesthesia will wear off and can actually see his wife and daughter?"

"Yeah, by now he should be wakin' up in like the next 20 minutes. He's been out of surgery for a bit."

"That's the kind of news I like to hear. So while we wait, would you two like to meet your new niece?"

"Of course. We need to see if this girl is tough enough to roll with us in the crime lab," Danny joked.

They rounded the corner back to Stella's room and quietly opened the door. Stella had her eyes closed as Lindsay walked around with Zoe in her arms. Danny stood for an extra second and admired his Montana with baby Zoe. That second solidified his love all over again for Lindsay. He stepped up next to her and gazed at a sleeping Zoe. She was perfect, and he already knew that she had her parent's personality.

"Hey Cowboy, wanna hold Zoe?" Lindsay questioned with a kiss.

"Why not." Danny scooped Zoe up from Lindsay's arms and rocked her a little bit to keep her from crying. Lindsay, Jess and Flack were all amazed to see how well Danny was able to keep Zoe calm. "Wha'? You guys surprised that I can actually take care of a baby? I had to take care of my cousins when I was growin' up. No big deal."

Zoe was gently passed to Flack and Jess, who admired her beauty. The four of them sat and enjoyed getting to know their new niece on a more personal level. As they laughed a bit, Stella began to wake up from her brief nap. "I see you all were trying to steal my little girl from me. Now I know where to look if she's ever been kidnapped in the middle of the night," she laughed. Flack and Danny went over to Stella and gave a proper hello and congratulate her. "So how's my husband?"

"The surgery went really well. He won't be able to use his left arm for a bit to give his shoulder a break to recover, but other than that he should be fine. By now he's probably woken up from anesthesia. We'll go check on him now."

Flack and Danny left the room and headed to the 2nd floor to Mac's new room. They checked with the floor nurse to make sure it was ok to go in, and they gently knocked on the door. They heard a weak "come in" and saw a groggy Mac on the bed. They walked over to his side and saw a few IVs hooked up to him.

"Hey man, how you feelin'?" Flack asked.

"Like shit. My left arm hurts a bit, but I'm more concerned about my wife and daughter. Did Stella already have the baby?"

"Yeah, and I have to say that Zoe's beautiful. Congratulations Mac," Danny said.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to go see them. It was bad enough I couldn't be there with Stella."

"That'll change in a few minutes 'cause we already got it covered. We talked to the nurse while you were in surgery, and she said if you were feeling up to it, we could wheel you up to the room for about 30 minutes."

"Sounds great, let's go." Danny and Flack received a wheel chair from the nurse and checked to make sure all of Mac's IVs were in place before they wheeled him out of the room. Once everything was ready, they got in the elevator and went to the maternity floor. Mac was pretty nervous to meet his daughter, yet excited to see Stella and Zoe together. They could actually be a real family now. Danny opened the door as Flack wheeled Mac in. The girls were talking quietly as Stella held Zoe in her arms. Her eyes immediately lit up and filled with tears when she saw Mac. Flack wheeled him up to her bedside, and Mac and Stella shared a kiss. Mac looked down into Stella's arms and saw the most beautiful little girl in his entire life.

"Can I hold her?" Mac delicately asked.

"Of course, but first off how are you feeling?" Stella asked. "I'm fine, I just won't be able to use my left arm for a while. With a brief smile and tears quietly falling down her cheek, Stella placed Zoe in Mac's right arm, trying to cause the least amount of pain possible. He protectively held Zoe in the gentlest way. Stella could believe her tough Marine husband could be so nurturing yet manly while holding their little girl. This was it. There life was actually starting, and it felt normal. It felt right.

"Ok guys, how about a picture of the happy family?" Lindsay offered. The Taylor family came together the best they could. Stella and Mac intertwined their fingers, shared a smile, and looked down at their daughter. Lindsay took the photo right then and there, knowing the new family would love it. It's always the shots you least expect that capture the essence of the moment.

"Perfect."

That one word summed up this moment: perfect. They were surrounded by people they loved, and most of all, Stella, Mac and Zoe were finally together. No matter how many obstacles they would have to face, they knew that they would always find a way back to each other. Family always stuck together.

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Did you like it?!? I thought yall would love an update, so I decided to write this chapter. Give me your thoughts in a REVIEW! I would make my day of studying a million times better! Love Love Love ~messermonroe125 :]


	15. Welcome Home Taylor Family

Welcome Home Taylor Family, Welcome Home

A/N: So I'm thinking this is going to be the last chapter for this story. But don't fret! I really want to start another story, but no new ideas have really hit me yet. I guess I'll just have to see if something comes to me soon…I sure hope it does! As I mentioned in my precious chapter, thank you sooo much to all of you who stuck by this story. It warms my heart to know that people have been reading it! I love you ALL. Thanks a million :] ENJOY!

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Un million de gracias para Fallen Angels of Love, JackSam, sucker-4-Smacked, and saturn567. I loved the reviews. Keep 'em coming for this last chapter!

"I'm so ready to finally get out of here!" Stella said to Mac as she was putting together the last of her things in the suitcase.

"Tell me about it. We've been here for 3 days, yet it's felt like 3 years. I don't even want to come back for PT, but if it gets me back to work sooner, I'll have to do it."

Stella looked at Mac with an 'I can't believe you just said that' face. "You know, I think your health and making sure your shoulder heals properly is just a _tad_ bit more important than rushing off to work. Besides, don't you want to stay home with Zoe and I for just a bit longer?"

"Of course I do," Mac replied, looking down at a sleeping Zoe. "I would do anything to spend some time with my girls."

"That's what I like to hear," Stella smiled, moving over to give her husband and sleeping daughter a kiss. She turned around when she heard a knock on the door. Danny and Flack both had wheel chairs ready to take them to the car.

"Ok, I know why you have one wheel chair, but why two? I don't need one," Mac reasoned.

"Like hell you do. Hospital protocol that every patient must be escorted out of the facilities via wheelchair. Hop on, and we'll take you to the car. We're your personal chauffeurs for the time being."

"Yeah, so whateva' you two need, we'll be thea'," Danny explained.

"Sounds great. Please tell me you two put the car seat in the back already. I'm not really in the mood to have to wait while you two fuss over how to make sure it's in correctly. I don't want anyone getting killed over here," Stella begged.

"Yeah it's all done. Lindsay and Jess made sure we had it all covered before we got here."

"Know that all of that's settled, do we need to get anything else straightened out before we head out to the car?"

"Nope, I think that's it. Hop on you two." Mac and Stella complied with the instructions to get on the wheelchairs. Danny and Flack started down the hallway into the elevators. It was completely silent on the way down to the ground level until Stella decided to break the silence.

"You know this is going to be us when we get old. We're in wheelchairs, and Zoe is going to have to push us around. It'll be interesting to say the least," she laughed to herself.

"Yeah, let's just hope she actually still cares about us when we're ridiculously old and she's still young. I don't want her to neglect us in our time of need."

"You know she won't...it would just never happen…I know already, right baby girl?" Stella smiled at Zoe.

"Why of course mommy dearest," Danny said in a very high-pitched, girly voice.

"Wiseass…" Mac, Flack and Stella all said in unison.

"Thanks guys…I truly feel the love. At least I know Zoe will never make fun of me."

"Keep dreamin'," Flack added as they approached the car. They helped Mac and Stella get situated in the car, strapped Zoe in tightly to the car seat, and were off towards the Taylor household.

The ride was pretty quiet, except for the basic 'how are things?' kind of questions. Stella and Mac would glance at each other briefly, smile and look at Zoe. They were holding hands throughout the car ride, fingers intertwined, silently saying that they were all together in this new journey that was going to begin their new life together. Both of them knew it was going to be difficult, but it would all be worth it.

Flack pulled into the Taylor's driveway, turned off the ignition, and helped everyone get out of the car. Mac got the keys out of his pocket and headed to the door with Stella and Zoe in tow. Flack and Danny stood back a little bit and got everything out of the trunk of the car. They both knew the team had decorated the house as a 'Welcome Home' surprise, and they had cooked a great lunch to be enjoyed by all.

As Mac opened the door, both he and Stella saw the sign hanging in their doorway: 'Welcome Home Taylor Family!' There pink and white balloons tied to the banister, as well as a completely set table with great food.

"Oh my God guys…this is awesome! When did you do this?" Stella excitedly asked.

"It wasn't just us, it was dem too," Danny said. As if on cue, the rest of the team stepped out of the kitchen into sight. They all came to say hi to Mac and Stella, and for some of them, it was the first time to get acquainted with Zoe. It was at that moment that Mac and Stella got the chance to stand back and really admire their family. They weren't related by blood, but it was the idea of being there for each other that held them all together like glue. When one of them was in trouble, they would have 8 hands reaching out to help. Lindsay and Jess walked up to Mac and Stella to snap them out of their thought process.

"So….what do you think?" Lindsay asked with a smile on her face.

"Everything's absolutely perfect. Thank you so much. This definitely makes coming home a little bit easier…and fun," Stella said hugging Lindsay and Jess.

"Thanks you two. It means a lot to us," Mac added.

"So we have, drum roll please, Italian food ready to eat on the table, with not only 9 place settings, but now an even 10 for little Miss Zoe. Whenever you two are ready we can go ahead and start eating," Jess explained.

"Well, I know I'm starving, but are you ready to eat, Mac?"

"Yeah let's go. I could use some normal food compared to that hospital junk we've had for the last few days."

"Alright people, let's eat!" Jess said to the crowd assembled in the living room. The team walked into the kitchen and sat down. Once everyone was situated, Hawkes stood up to saw a few words.

"Well, I know that we're all very happy that everyone is ok and recovering which is a major plus. But I think this little get together is more for Zoe. We're all excited that she's a part of our family. Congrats you two." The team cheered and smiled at a beautiful sleeping Zoe in Adam's arms. Lindsay stood up once Hawkes sat down, and everyone was now staring at her.

"I guess it's my turn to add a little something. It's always been a little weird thing I've wanted to do, but I just wanted to say a final thing before we eat. 'Welcome home Taylor family, welcome home'."

"Wow Linds, how Ty Pennington of you," Jess laughed.

"I told you it was weird! But it seems so cool to be able to say that when someone comes back to a new house, which essentially we did today."

"Enough with the TV comments Montana, let's eat already!" Danny exclaimed.

The team laughed and passed around food. Danny gave Lindsay kiss to let her know that he was just kidding. Once everyone was done eating and the dishes were done, they sat around for a bit and talked. It was always nice to just be in the company of your family. Mac leaned over to Stella and Zoe.

"This is the definition of family," he whispered into Stella's ear.

"I guess it is," she laughed back.

They gave each other a quick kiss, and Mac leant down to give Zoe a kiss on the forehead. Mac and Stella knew that if this was what the ideal family was supposed to be like, they had everything they could have ever dreamed of.

THE END

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That's it!!! That is the end of the Proposal. But I might come back and do a one-shot here and there if I come up with some ideas…we shall see! Thanks again for all of yalls support! It means the world to me! So leave me a REVIEW by clicking the green and white button about the story! I know you want to :] Love Love Love Always ~messermonroe125


	16. Happy Birthdays and I Love Yous

Happy Birthdays and I Love Yous

A/N: So remember when I said that The Proposal was completely finished? Yeah I guess I lied…I missed this story too much and I got some ideas! I've wanted to update something for a while and this is it. So I still don't own anything…fun stuff. Glad to be back! Hope y'all aren't as stressed as I am…yet I still try to find some time to get my ideas jotted down.

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"What?" a groggy Mac asked as Stella was frantically shaking him to wake up.

"Really? Really Mac? Out of all the days, you decided to want to oversleep on this one?"

"Oversleeping is not defined as sleeping until, what like, 7 am on a Saturday," he replied with his eyes still shut.

"It's 7:15, thank you very much." Stella got of bed and made her way to Zoe's room. She couldn't believe that exactly a year ago, the beautiful little girl that was hers and Mac's daughter came into the world. Stella gently scooped up a sleeping Zoe and moved over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

"Hey baby girl…you're one today!" Stella whispered. "Obviously, I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Aunt Jess, Aunt Lindsay and I were singing along to crazy songs and eating junk food when I decided to get some ice cream. But you little lady had different plans and sent me right to the hospital. I won't go into the details of how your daddy almost gave me a heart attack by getting into a car accident just as you decided to come along, but I am glad to say that we're all here together to celebrate your birthday." Stella gently smoothed Zoe's hair and gave her a kiss on the top of her head causing her to open her eyes for just a brief second before falling back asleep.

"How about you let the birthday girl and the birthday girl's dad sleep for a bit longer before boring her with a story?" Mac laughed in his Marine sweats and plain white tee. He had been watching Stella retell the story from the doorframe and decided to officially tell his daughter happy birthday. It was hard for him to imagine that there had been the possibility that he may have never gotten to meet Zoe; from then on, her vowed that every minute he got to spend her was going to be special. Mac walked over to Stella and lifted Zoe onto his chest. She let out a cute little yawn as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey birthday girl…ready for your party?" Mac asked. Zoe just looked up at him with her big green eyes and blinked a few times. "I shall take that as a yes then," he laughed to himself. "When is everyone supposed to come over?"

"Eh, like around 2. It's really just a small get together with the team."

"True…do you have all the stuff to get the place set up?"

"Yeah it's in the downstairs closet. Streamers, balloons, and some other cute little 'I'm One!' paraphernalia. You know I wouldn't skip any details for her _first _birthday."

"But the second one will be just a cupcake with a little candle she can blow out?"

"Oh of course…and by the third, there will be no party!" Stella laughed. "But we would never do that to you baby girl…we're just teasing you."

"Actually, when the second ones comes around…"

"You want to talk about a second one now…yeah let's just talk about a second one once you know what it's like to push a watermelon out of your vagina…especially when you're not there to help me," Stella mumbled the last part under her breath. They had talked about that day a thousand times, and it still killed both of them.

Mac walked over to Stella after placing Zoe in her playpen. He gently cupped her face in hands and moved a brown curl from her face. "You know I'd do anything to make sure I'm there the next time, you know that right? And I'm still kicking myself that I couldn't be there for you and Zoe."

"Of course I do…but it's still hard to remember everything that happened and that you couldn't be there the first time."

"Well, how about for today we don't focus on that part…let's just focus on making this the best first birthday for Zoe."

"You've got yourself a deal," Stella said while sealing her words with a kiss. "So, where should we start?"

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After having spent the last few hours preparing for the party, Mac and Stella finally got a chance to relax with Zoe before everyone showed up. They were both on their hands and knees trying to get Zoe to walk. She had the stand up, take a step and fall down on her butt down pat. Mac and Stella had been encouraging her to walk to the both of them for about a good month now. Mac picked Zoe up one last time and set her on her feet right by the couch. Stella had her arms wide open and a big smile encouraging Zoe to come to her. Zoe cautiously took one step and had a huge grin plastered on her face.

"That's it, baby girl!" Stella encouraged; she was hoping that this would finally be the day that Zoe would start to walk. What other day is as perfect as her first birthday? Just as Zoe was getting ready to take another step, the doorbell rang and Zoe immediately fell down. Mac opened the door to greet Flack, Jess, Lindsay and Danny.

"Thanks for ruining my daughter's chance of walking on her first birthday," Stella laughed. She greeted them, and they all went into the living room. Mac brought beers for the guys and some wine for the ladies. They all started to laugh when Flack got on the ground and started to play with Zoe; Jess thought it was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. Flack was trying to get her to walk when the door bell rang yet again.

Flack hadn't put down Zoe yet until the door was closed and Adam, Hawkes and Sid had walked in and were talking to Mac in the doorway. Adam knelt down on the floor to say hi to Zoe remembering to get to her height when she was learning to walk. All of a sudden, the minute Flack put her down, she quickly walked into Adam's arms without any problem.

"Did I just see my daughter walk over to you Adam?" Stella said as she ran over to Adam and Zoe.

"Umm…well…yeah?" Adam kind of winced at the question; he feared that Stella was going to come beat him up for getting Zoe to walk instead of her and Mac.

"I love you!" Stella hugged Adam, planting a kiss on his cheek. Adam immediately turned red at the simple gesture and handed Zoe to Stella.

"I'm so proud of you baby girl!" Stella cheered after giving Zoe a kiss on the forehead. "Can you walk to Daddy?"

Mac knelt down, gave some encouraging and opened his arms for Zoe to walk into them. Stella sat down with Zoe in her arms before she released her to walk over to Mac. With a careful first step, Zoe was able to gain the confidence needed to walk over to Mac without any slips. He gave her a hug and a kiss before letting the rest of the team smother her with love.

"How about some lunch? Montana and I made none other than Italian food."

"We really gotta get a new type of food for special events…" Lindsay commented.

"New York…Italian food…they go hand in hand, Linds," Hawkes joked.

"Well, enough about just talking about, let's eat!" Jess laughed. The team took seats around the table and started to pass around spaghetti, bread, and everything else under the sun needed for an Italian feast. They were able to carry on light-hearted banter, forgetting about the responsibilities they had in the real world for just a few hours. They enjoyed each other's company, and it was always a good thing to step back and remember the importance of family.

After everyone finished lunch, Sid and Adam brought out the cake with a "1" candle lit right in the center. The cake was placed right in front of the Taylor Family so that they could blow out the candle together. The team sang Happy Birthday, snapped a few pictures of the family together, and they blew out the candle. The cake was cut and served so that everyone could enjoy its chocolaty goodness.

Jess and Lindsay were the designated photographers for the day, making sure not a soul knew the motive behind their eagerness to take pictures. They had already made a quilt before Zoe was born, so they wanted to out-do that for her first birthday. Stella had mentioned in passing while she was pregnant that she wanted to make a scrapbook for Zoe to "document those cute moments in her childhood" so that she could keep it when she was older. Stella had started taking all of the pictures but never had the time to actually put it all together, so both Jess and Lindsay decided it was their job to do the best they could to make the perfect scrapbook for her first birthday. They were lucky enough to capture pictures of each person spending time with Zoe laughing and having a good time. Both of them were hoping that they would have the scrapbook made within a month or so to give to Zoe as a belated birthday present.

Once gifts were opened, everyone was happily fed, and the day was coming to an end, everyone began to say their goodbyes. They were lucky to have gotten the time off for a bit to celebrate this special day together.

"Well, looks like the birthday girl here is out for the day," Mac laughed. He laid her down in her crib and gently placed a blanket over her. He stared down at his beautiful daughter not being able to get the idea that she was already a year old out of his mind. Stella came up next to him and gave him a hug to get him out of what he was thinking.

"Can't believe she's growing up so fast," she whispered in his embrace. "And I still can't believe that she finally walked today! It feels like we've been trying to get her to walk for ages."

"I know. But I'd have to say then that today was perfect. We celebrated with our family, Zoe walked, and the three of us were together. You know I love you, right?"

"Forever and always," Stella answered with her head in his chest.

Stella and Mac gave Zoe a kiss before tucking her in and turning off her light. From that moment on, the Taylor Family knew that they would be together forever and always.

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So? How was it? Comments could be placed in a fantastic REVIEW. You know you want to…don't deny it! I'm super glad to have updated again so tell me what you think!!! Love Love Love Always ~messermonroe125


	17. Our Second Family Christmas

Our Second Family Christmas…But Can We Say First?

A/N: So I know I've been pretty nonexistent for the past few weeks, but school and life's been pretty stressful. Thank goodness there's a holiday! I hope everyone is loving the break and getting ready to celebrate whatever holiday con su familia! I own nothing, you know the drill.

Un million de besos a JackSam, rocksmacked, Catulicious, sucker-4-Smacked, and lily moonlight for the fantastic reviews. Keep 'em coming! And to everyone that's been reading as well, thank you so much!

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"This is gonna be interesting," Mac sighed as he looked down the multiple rows of trees to choose from. They had decided that they needed to start decorating a bit earlier this year because they wanted the chance to enjoy all of the decorations for a bit. But the more Mac realized what they needed to get done, the less he wanted to start.

"Correction, this is gonna be _fun_," Stella laughed. "Stop being such a Debbie Downer."

"I'm not a Debbie Downer, whatever that means. Zoe can back me up on that one, right baby girl?"

"Nice try, detective, but your daughter has been asleep for the last half hour in my arms. She can't help you now."

"Well, I bet I can redeem myself by picking the best tree for us. Dad and I always used to pick the best one every single Christmas; no one could top ours." Mac retold the story with a huge grin on his face. Even if he would have told Stella the same story a thousand times, she would probably asked him to retell it once more to capture the pure joy written all over his face. He was devastated that he couldn't share any more moments with his father, but he made sure that his memory lived on.

Stella intertwined her fingers in his as they started to walk down the rows looking for the perfect tree. They encountered the usual runt tree, the large and obnoxious tree, the wide and fat tree, and of course, the tree that didn't even really look like a tree. Mac and Stella began to get a bit frustrated, but they both were determined to find the perfect one.

"What about this one?" Stella asked pointing to a snow covered, medium size tree.

"It's really nice, but, I don't know, I feel like there's still one out there…like this one." Mac pointed to a beautiful 7 foot tree. It wasn't too big, and its branches were the perfect length with just enough 'treeness' on them to hang ornaments.

"That one is perfect," Stella agreed as she walked up next to Mac. "Thanks for picking it out," she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Sir, we'd like to take this one," Mac called to the young man ready to help tie up the tree and take it to the car. Once they were able to get the tree all together and pay for it, Mac, Stella and Zoe were ready to head to the car. Mac thanked the young man for his help, and they were on their way back home. Stella explained the plan for the rest of the day, even though Mac had heard it about ten times in the span of two or three days. They would get home, get the tree in, get down all of the Christmas boxes filled with ornaments, stockings and other decorations, sip hot chocolate while setting up the tree, and of course have Christmas music playing in the background.

"Sounds like a good plan. It's nice to finally have a Saturday off together. I feel like we've been working all the time lately."

"Well, you're the one that always says that crime never stops."

"Very true." Mac pulled into the driveway to let Stella place Zoe inside before helping him get the tree off of the car. Once Zoe was settled in her playpen, Stella came back and started to untie the tree from the roof of the car.

"You know, I can get one of the guys from across the street to help me bring this in the house if it's too heavy."

"Are you kiddin me? This is nothing. When I was in college, I used to haul my tree up ten flights up steps all the way to my apartment. Don't underestimate me, Mr. Taylor."

"Hey I wasn't…I was just offering and being polite."

"Sure you were…"

Once they maneuvered both themselves and the tree through the door and into the living room, they were finally able to get started. Stella started the hot chocolate and turned on the kitchen radio searching until she found the perfect holiday station. Mac began to take some of the boxes filled with decorations out of the storage room and placed them in the living room. Once they had both taken a few sips of their hot chocolate, they were ready to start the decorating.

"What do we want to do first, the tree or the rest of the house?"

"The house…the tree's the best part," Mac reasoned.

They began to place some of the wreathes they had around the house. Whether it was on their front door or in the kitchen, the wreathes were in a prominent place. Next, they hung up their stockings along the mantle of their fireplace. Each of them was different, showing the uniqueness of the Taylor family. The first, Mac's, was a typical red stocking with a white border and his name hand-stitched on the front. His mother had made it for him for his first Christmas, and he has cherished it ever since. Stella hung her stocking that she's had since college. One of her friends during her freshman year decided to make her a stocking when they found out she didn't have one. It was a beautiful green stocking with her name written in white cursive letters. A snowman was the main attraction of the stocking with pompoms used to decorate around it. Finally, they got ready to hang Zoe's stocking. It was an adorable purple stocking with Zoe's name also written in white letters across the top. On the bottom, there was a little girl pulling a sled. It was decorated with bows and pompoms as well, making it reminiscent of Stella's own stocking. Once they were all hung in their proper places, Stella picked up Zoe from her playpen to admire the decorations.

"What do you think, Zoe?" Stella asked. She received an excited giggle from Zoe, causing Stella to laugh herself.

"I guess we would have to say perfect then. Ready to start the tree, Mac?"

"Yeah, I already laid out all of the lights and the ornaments are in the box behind you ready to get hung up."

"Alright then, let's start with the lights." Stella set Zoe down on the floor allowing her ample space to walk around without actually destroying any of the ornaments or hurting herself. Mac and Stella began their slow dance around the tree to space the lights evenly and effectively. Once the strands of lights had decorated the tree, they were ready to start placing the ornaments on, the first activity the entire family could be a part of. Mac and Stella took turns taking some of the ornaments and explaining the significance of them to Zoe. Some had been Mac's childhood ornaments, some Stella had received as gifts from her friends, and others they each just acquired over the years. They were both excited to take out some of the ornaments they bought for Zoe.

The first one they showed her was a little baby polar bear playing in the snow. Mac held it up to Zoe in his arms allowing her to touch it and hold it in her hands. He couldn't help but laugh as she started to shake it, wondering if any sound would come out.

"Are you ready to put it on the tree?" Mac wondered. He guided her hand towards the spot they wanted to put the ornament on and slipped the loop onto the branch. He praised her causing her to just smile and clap at Mac.

Stella did the same thing with Zoe, showing her some of the ornaments that they would start to collect each Christmas. Once all of the ornaments were neatly placed around the tree, it was time to place the angel on the top.

"This is going to be your job when you get older," Stella explained to Zoe. She grabbed the angel from her box and used the step ladder to reach the top of the tree. She positioned her on the top of the tree and stepped down to be able to admire all of their work. They turned off all of the lights and took a minute to revel in the beauty of Christmas, the beauty of family.

"This Christmas is going to be perfect," Mac whispered into Stella's ear, planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"I would have to agree. What do you think little girl?" Stella asked while giving Zoe a kiss on the cheek.

Zoe gave off a big grin, showing her parents the reason this Christmas was even more special.

"That's a yes then," Mac smiled. The Taylor family went back to their hot chocolate and Christmas festivities, full aware of the joys of Christmas and the uniqueness of family.

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What did you think? You could write me in a wonderful REVIEW! Just click the button. It would be a fantastic Christmas present! Haha I hope yall have a great Christmas and holiday season! Love Love Love Always ~messermonroe125 :]


	18. Dear Diary

Dear Diary

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in ages, but life has been so stressful! I hope yall are still enjoying reading this story as much as I love writing it. This chapter is a bit different in format, so reviews/comments/suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Sorry if some of the dates would be completely off, but please bare with me! Peace, Love, and Smacked. :]

Besitos a JackSam, sucker-4-Smacked, rocksmacked, saturn567, y lilymoonlight for the awesome reviews. Keep 'em coming!

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It was a beautiful Saturday morning as Stella Taylor walked around the house getting ready for her day. Mac had already left for the lab to tie up some loose ends on a case they had been working on all week. Lucky for Stella, Danny, Lindsay and Adam were on their way in to the lab also, so she got to enjoy her Saturday off. Zoe was still asleep, so Stella found it the perfect time to pick up a bit around the house. She put away some of Zoe's toys that were scattered around the living room back in their respective places, put away the clean dishes from last night's dinner, and started the Taylor family's laundry.

"What to do, what to do…" she asked herself as she sat on the couch. "Hmm…I can always organize my side of the closet, which I've been meaning to do for a while," she reasoned as she was already half way to the bedroom.

As she moved the rest of her winter clothes towards the front of the closet with spring right behind, a plain green journal fell from the shelf hidden beneath the clothes. Stella automatically recognized the journal, a smile appearing on her face. She slid down to floor of the closet with her back leaning against the doorframe for support. She flipped through, rereading some of the things she had written what seemed like forever ago.

_January 20, 1984_

_So diary. What's up? I don't really know what to write down in these things. I just got you today as a gift from Professor P. It's not a holiday or birthday or anything, but he said it might be good for me to write down whatever comes to mind. I'll try to keep writing after this first entry…_

_May 24, 1993_

_Today was my graduation from the Academy. I can't believe I'm actually done! I've already got a job lined up at the NYPD Crime Lab. Never really saw myself as more of a CSI, but a job is a job. I start in a week, and I'm hoping all goes well._

_June 15, 1998_

_We just hired some new kid named Danny Messer. Looks like a tough kid who can handle whatever's thrown at him. Supposed to be smart too, Mac said he graduated top of his class. We'll have to throw him a few curve balls to see if he's as sharp as he claims he is. _

_September 25, 2000_

_Why does love have to be this complicated? The guy I've been dating for the last 2 months, Ryan, all of a sudden just said he couldn't handle a commitment. What an asshole. Why can't every guy be like Mac Taylor? Oh my God, I actually wrote that down. Shit. Well, ok….I think maybe I love Mac…but he's married. I'm not gonna do anything stupid, so don't worry. Wait a second, why the hell am I talking to my diary as if it's a real person? I better just stop while I'm ahead…_

_November 3, 2008 _

_Holy fucking crap. I know I haven't written in here in a while, but I have to tell somebody. Mac Taylor just asked me out on a real date. We went to grab a bite after processing a scene earlier today. I think I'm going to die if we go out again…which I think we will. Cross your fingers that this could be real. _

Stella laughed at her last few entries concerning Mac. She couldn't believe that they could have come this far in about 17 years. Hell, they were married, they had a beautiful daughter, and potentially another on the way. She gently stroked her still flat belly, not being able to fully process another child. "Damn it," she whispered to herself as she placed the journal on the ground and placed her head in her hands. She just found out yesterday after taking 6 pregnancy tests that within 9 months, another bundle of joy was coming. It wasn't that Stella didn't want another child, because she always did, but she didn't know if it was the right time. She hadn't discussed the possibility of another child with Mac because they were so wrapped up in Zoe's life. There was only one thing to do now to make her feel even a bit better: write.

_January 17, 2010_

_Hey diary…I see I haven't written in a few years. I actually just found you again while I was rearranging my closet. Maybe I should fill you in on my life since the last time I wrote: I'm now Stella Taylor. Mac and I got married a little over a year and half ago. We have a daughter named Zoe who is the most beautiful little girl we could've ever asked for. She' going to be 2 in about another 8 months, and I know that time is going to fly by so quickly. Our life together is perfect, and I couldn't have asked to share it with anyone other than Mac. But we may have potentially hit a bump in the road…I'm pregnant again. Took 6 pregnancy tests yesterday, and they don't usually give you a false positive. I haven't mentioned it to Mac at all, and to tell you the truth I'm kinda scared to. I know he'll support me no matter what, but it just seems too soon. Hell, Zoe's not even out of diapers yet! How are we supposed to afford another baby? The thing is though, part of me is kind of excited with the idea of having another baby. I don't know if we're going to have enough money to spoil him or her like we have with Zoe, but at least she'll have another sibling to play with and to love. I always wanted an older sister, and this baby can have that. Plus, two loving parents which are always kind of crucial to the perfect family…_

Zoe's crying quickly alerted Stella that she was finally up, forcing her to scribble down a concluding sentence.

_Speaking of Zoe, she just woke up. Hopefully I'll be able to tell Mac today about baby number two…wish me luck. _

Stella pushed herself up from the doorframe, leaving the journal sprawled out on the closet floor. She walked into Zoe's room and picked her up from her crib.

"How's my baby girl this morning?" Stella asked, immediately calming Zoe down. "How about we go have a late breakfast, huh?"

When Stella arrived in the kitchen, she placed Zoe in her high chair and handed her one of her Dora dolls to play with to keep her entertained.

"I'm in the mood for some cereal, what about you baby?"

The only response Stella got was a laugh from Zoe as she played with her doll. "I'll take that as a yes," she answered herself. She got the bowls, spoons and cereal out to take to the table. Once she sat down and got comfortable to start getting breakfast underway, she realized she left out a crucial part of the cereal: milk.

"Damn it," she silently cursed herself. She got up and headed back to the fridge as she her "'am it!" behind her.

She quickly turned around and started at her daughter. "Zoe, baby girl, what did you just say?" with a sense of excitement and worry of the idea of her daughter's first word would be a cuss word.

"'am it!" she exclaimed with a big grin on her face.

"No baby, we don't say that. Can you say mama? Ma-ma."

"'am it!" she laughed once again.

"What is my little girl laughing about?" Mac smiled as he walked through the side door into the kitchen.

"Mac! I thought you weren't going to be home til later this afternoon…"

"Yeah, well we caught the perp, and it seemed like Danny and Lindsay had it under control from there. I thought I'd come home early and spend the rest of the day with my girls," he explained as he kissed her cheek. "I'm gonna go change and I'll be back down in a sec."

"K…" Stella couldn't believe that she was going to have to explain to her husband that not only was their daughter's first word "damn it", but that she was also pregnant. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

Mac made his way into the closet to change into sweats and a plain white t-shirt as he noticed a green diary on the floor. He remembered Stella telling him about when she first got this from Professor P when she was younger, and he smiled as he picked it up. Just as he was going to close it and put it on her side of the closet, he noticed that she had written something today catching his attention. He skimmed the page, noticing that it was just her giving an update of her life now. And then three words caught his eye forcing him to just drop the journal where he was standing: _I'm pregnant again._

He made his way back downstairs with the green journal in hand, Stella and Zoe's giggles guiding him to the kitchen.

"You're pregnant again?" Mac asked timidly.

* * *

Yes, I'm going to be evil and leave you with a cliffhanger. But what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a REVIEW!!! It would totally make my day. I was just curious of what yall thought of the diary entry format as well…Love Love Love Always ~messermonroe125 :]


	19. All I Really Wanna Do Is Love You

All I Really Wanna Do Is Love You

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying your day today! I was so excited to read everyone's reviews from the last chapter with a bit of a new format, so maybe in later chapters I may use it again. Life is still pretty stressful, thus resulting in less time to update my stories. I hope the wait was worth it for this chapter…enjoy! :]

Mucho amor para sucker-4-Smacked, JackSam, rocksmacked, y Wishstar for the wonderful reviews. Keep 'em coming!

* * *

"You're pregnant again?" Mac asked a second time after not getting an audible response from Stella.

She started playing with her wedding bands after Mac had asked her the first time. Her heart beat skyrocketed in anticipation as she tried to figure out what to say.

"I umm…I…well…yeah," she finally whispered. "I was going to tell you, I swear, but I just found out yesterday."

"I know…you left your diary on the closet floor." Mac turned his head towards the window and paused for a second. "How does this happen? I mean I _know _how it happens, but…"

"Are you mad?" Stella asked walking towards him. She didn't know if she should give him a hug or give him his own space.

"No, surprised and scared shitless, yes," Mac reasoned. "Come here." He enveloped her in his arms and began to stroke her curls gently, his own wedding band glistening with the sunlight. He could hear Stella trying to muffle her sobs.

"Hey, look at me," Mac said as he cupped her face in his hands. "We're going to be fine. All of us. I promise. It may get rough sometimes, but I know we can do this. We've always wanted at least 2 kids right?"

"That's what we told each other when we got married," Stella laughed as she tried to wipe away her tears. "So are you happy?" She partially held her breath for his answer to his question.

Mac took a second to really think about how he was feeling. He had never lied to Stella, and he wasn't planning to start now. "I am," he said with a smile. He knelt down and planted a kiss on her still flat belly. "Hey there squirt, it's daddy."

"Squirt?" Stella asked while trying to keep a straight face. She couldn't help but smile at his cuteness.

"Yeah, Squirt. It's a perfectly good unisex nickname that will suffice until we find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Can't deny the logic on that one can we Squirt?" Stella asked as she rubbed her belly, criss-crossing her arms.

"'am it!" Zoe exclaimed with a big grin on her face to get her parents attention. Both Stella and Mac turned around so quickly they could've gotten whiplash.

"No baby, we don't say those things. Those things make Mommy sad remember?"

"Did I really just hear my two year old daughter say 'damn it'?" Mac asked with a surprised look on his face. "Out of everything she could've said as her first words, she chose 'damn it'?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. I was getting our day started with some breakfast, when I realized that I forgot the milk to go with our cereal. Of course, I decided to mutter something under my breath that your daughter picked up," Stella calmly explained.

"My daughter? Since when is she not _our _daughter?"

"Since she decided to start using such colorful phrases."

"Ah, I see." Mac walked over to a bubbly Zoe, cleaning her up from breakfast and pulling her into his arms. "How's my little girl today?"

Mac received a kiss on the nose and some excited claps from Zoe as a response. "Good, I'm assuming," he laughed to himself. "Hey, have you scheduled an appointment yet just to see how far along you are?" Mac called to Stella as she was cleaning up their breakfast.

"I was getting ready to call right after breakfast, so I guess I can call now."

Stella went to the side of the fridge to get their list of doctors' numbers, dialed the OB/GYN, and was quickly greeted by the receptionist. Mac could hear the one-sided conversation from the living room as he played with Zoe.

"Hi, this is Stella Taylor. I was curious to see when your next opening was so that I could see Dr. Shipley. Mhm…yes, that would be perfect. I'll see you then. Thanks, bye."

"That was awfully brief," Mac commented as she headed into the living room.

"They said that someone just cancelled for their 3 o' clock appointment this afternoon. I knew we didn't really have much to do later, and we were both finally home at the same time, so I thought it would work out perfectly."

"Sounds good." Mac got up from the floor and headed to the couch motioning for Stella to come sit next to him. She complied, pushing her feet underneath her and resting her head on his shoulder. Mac gently rubbed her arm as they sat in comfortable silence for a bit.

"I think it's gonna be great for Zoe to finally have someone else to play with instead of just us two…she's going to make a great big sister," Stella mentioned as she broke the silence.

"She'll be filled with enough energy for the both of them. I can guarantee you that Zoe's going to be the loud, crazy child and Squirt is going to be extremely quiet one." They both couldn't help but laugh as Zoe immediately started giggling at her dollies that were sprawled out on the floor. Regardless of how scared and nervous they both were, they felt comforted by their already happy family they had right in front of them.

* * *

"Thanks for watching Zoe on such short notice," Stella said as she handed Zoe off to their neighbor's daughter Hayley.

"Yeah, no problem. Zoe and I love hanging out together, don't we babe?" Hayley asked, receiving an excited giggle from Zoe.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours, and just make yourself at home. You know where all of her toys and other things are. I love you, Zoe," Stella said as she gave Zoe a quick kiss before heading out the door.

* * *

The car ride seemed to pass by quickly; both Mac and Stella were lost in their own thoughts, only the music in the background preventing silence. Once they arrived at the doctor's office and filled out all of the necessary paperwork for a new visit, they were promptly called in for their appointment.

"So first and foremost, I would like to say congratulations to the two of you. How are you feeling today, Stella?" Dr. Shipley asked with a genuine smile.

"Umm…ok for the most part. Haven't had any morning sickness, but I'm just a bit more tired than usual."

"That's to be expected. And how's little Zoe been doing lately?"

"She's a little bundle of energy, as usual," Mac laughed.

"That's always a good thing to hear. Alright Stella, we're just gonna start with a few basic questions just to try and gage how far along you are. How long ago was your last menstrual cycle?"

Stella took out her planner, searching for the little red dots in the corners of each month that she used as a tracker. _Obviously nothing in February or January…no December…crap! I didn't notice it for this long? November 15__th__…alright…at least I'm not completely out of it. _

"November 15th."

"Ok…let's put that in your file along with a due date of….August 21st. You're about 7 weeks along."

Mac and Stella couldn't help but intertwine their fingers and smile at each other. Even if this wasn't necessarily the most ideal time to have another baby, they were going to make this work together.

"Alrighty, well there wouldn't be too much to see in a 7 week ultrasound, but we can listen to the baby's heart beat if you two would like," Dr. Shipley explained.

"That'd be great."

Dr. Shipley led both of them to an exam room and retrieved the machine as Stella eased herself onto the table. She grabbed Mac's hand once again for support and strength. The room was completely silent until it was filled with the echo of their baby's heart beat. Mac tightened his hold on Stella's hand as he tried to prevent tears from flowing. Both of them started grinning like little kids.

"Your baby definitely has a strong, steady heart beat which is a great sign. I want to see you in about 4 or 5 weeks unless anything else comes up before then, and I have a prescription right here for your prenatal vitamins. You know the drill," Dr. Shipley laughed. "I'll see you at your next appointment. Have a great day you two."

She shook both Mac and Stella's hands, leaving both of them to grab their things and schedule Stella's next appointment. The ride home was more light-hearted, the parents-to-be talking about some of the furniture that would need to be rearranged again for their new addition. They relieved Hayley of her babysitting duties once they got back home and started to get dinner ready.

Once their meal was completed, they spent some down time playing with Zoe before she needed to be put down for the night. Mac and Stella used this quiet time afterwards to pick up any toys and books that were out of place to at least have the house cleaned up a bit before Zoe could take everything out again in the morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor finally realized how exhausting the exciting day had been after they spent a good hour cleaning up. They headed up to their room, changed, and got into bed.

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Stella quietly asked as she snuggled into Mac's chest.

"Honestly, I just want a healthy baby, it doesn't matter," Mac laughed. "What do you think?"

"I really think it's another girl, I don't know why. Of course I just want a healthy baby, but I'm pretty sure it's a girl."

They continued their light conversation until they both feel asleep, each dreaming of their new little baby, and the joy it would bring their family.

* * *

Stella awoke a few hours later with the sudden urge to use the restroom. She pushed herself up from the bed, realizing that she already felt wet.

"Uh, crap…this can't already be the wetting the bed stage again…"

As she turned around to more closely examine her side of the bed, she noticed the stain was a bit darker. Stella turned her lamp on to realize that the sheets were stained with blood.

"No…no…this can't be happening," she tried to reason as she rushed into the bathroom to notice her pajamas were completely stained as well.

"Mac, sweetie, you've gotta take me to the hospital right now," Stella said as she ran to wake up Mac.

"Stell, are you ok?" Mac groggily asked, suddenly noticing the fear written all over Stella's face.

"No, we've gotta go now," Stella quickly replied with tears starting to form in her eyes. _Please let us be ok, _she prayed.

* * *

I'm sorry, please don't kill me! Please tell me what you thought about the chapter in a review. I know it was one of the more "dense" chapters so to say, but I would really love some opinions on it. I really hope yall have a great day!!! I promise that things will start to get better for the Taylors soon. All my love ~messermonroe125 :]


	20. There's Nothing Left to Say

There's Nothing Left to Say

A/N: MLIS. My life is stressful. That's the easiest way to put it. I haven't had that much time for updates, but I'm definitely trying to get back on track. Please don't kill me with this chapter, but I would LOVE feedback. It'll help me see how I wanna proceed after this… in advance, I LOVE YOU ALL! :] I also got a bit of an idea on how to write this chapter from an episode of the show Brothers & Sisters; if anything happened to be identical, all rights go to those writers :]

Besitos a rocksmacked, Catulicious, sucker-4-Smacked, y JackSam for the great reviews. Keep 'em coming!

* * *

"Hang on Stell, we'll be there in just a few minutes," Mac said trying to calm his wife. She held a death grip on his right hand trying to work through the pain.

"Why did this have to happen, especially now?" Stella gasped.

"Just calm down, babe, it's going to be ok."

Mac pulled into the emergency room entrance and helped Stella out of the car as quickly and carefully as possible. Luckily, they were able to get a nurse to help them out and take Stella into the ER.

"I'll be in there as soon as possible," Mac called out as Stella was being wheeled around the corner. He had to go park the car before he could go find Stella again. The last hour had been a complete whirlwind; from the moment Stella's words actually processed in his brain to quickly dropping Zoe off at Jess and Don's place to actually pulling up to the ER, everything happened in a blur.

Mac pulled into the closest parking spot, shut off the ignition, and let out a sigh. He put his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes for a second. "We had finally agreed that this was all going to be ok…why did this have to happen?" he whispered. He regained his composure, took one more deep breath, and headed into the ER.

He looked around the surprisingly busy waiting room and made his way to the nurses' station. "Hi, my wife Stella Taylor was just wheeled in here a few moments ago. Can you give me any information about where she was taken, or what's happening?"

The nurse looked around at her files and finally pulled out Stella's. "Oh, she was just taken into the ER; they just finished examining her."

"And what did they find? Is she going to be ok? What about the baby?"

"Sir, I can't disclose any of that information. If you can take a seat in the waiting room, she'll be done soon."

"I don't want to take a seat; I want to find out if my wife's ok," Mac stated beginning to raise his voice.

"Do not get loud with me sir, do not get loud with me! You're just going to have to take a seat and calm down."

Mac noticed that he was not going to win with this nurse, and turned around with a serious expression on his face. "Fine." He found a seat in the corner of the room and decided that waiting was the only thing left to do.

* * *

"Mr. Taylor? Mr. Taylor?"

Mac heard his name being called by the doctor, but couldn't really process why he was in the hospital. "That's me. Sorry, I must of fallen asleep for a few minutes."

"I just wanted to let you know that you can see your wife now. I do have to tell you that she's very tired, but she's ok. Just proceed down this hallway, and it's the first room on your left."

"Thank you." With the doctor's words, it finally clicked as to why Mac was at the hospital. He quickly shook off any sleep that was still with him and made his way into Stella's room.

He leaned against the doorframe of the room, mentally preparing himself for anything that would have happened. His heart immediately broke when he heard Stella softly crying, and he rushed to her side. Her back was facing him, so he gently rubbed her back, causing her to turn around with tear stained cheeks.

"I lost the baby, Mac," she cried. Mac crawled into the hospital bed when she scooted over to the other side. Mac opened his arms for her, and she snuggled into his side as she began to cry again.

"It's going to be ok, I promise," Mac said as he kissed the top of her head.

"How can it be ok when I feel so empty?" she whispered while looking into his eyes and drying her tears; he could tell that she was hurting, but she wasn't fully letting him in to help her get through this.

"Listen to me. I'm here for you. Zoe's here for you. We're going to get through this together. We can always try again when you're feeling better."

Stella sat for a few moments without saying anything. "Can we just see what's on TV please?" she finally said rather coldly. Mac grabbed the remote from the side table and reluctantly turned on the TV to fill the room with something other than pure silence. After they hadn't spoken for nearly 10 minutes, he felt the need to say something.

"Stell, you have to let me help you get through this…I'm here for you, and you know that, but you just have to acknowledge it so that we can grow through this…_together_."

"Honestly," she said, "I just want to go home and forget that this even happened." She turned onto her side so that her back was now facing Mac. He had never seen her like this, so distant and cold.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he whispered as he kissed her temple before pushing himself out of the hospital bed.

* * *

Mac made his way outside of the hospital and grabbed his phone; he knew that Don and Jess would be wondering about Stella, and he wanted to give them an update. It was still relatively early in the morning, but he also wanted to check up on Zoe.

He dialed Don's cell number and was connected almost immediately.

"_Mac? How's Stell, is she ok?"_ Don asked trying to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah, but umm…just a few days ago she found out that she was pregnant. We went to doctor yesterday to see how far along she was and heard the heartbeat; it was incredible. Granted, I didn't think the timing was perfect, but we were still excited. She just lost the baby, Don." Mac felt his eyes beginning to water.

"_Mac, man, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"_

"I..I don't even know anymore. I just saw her, and seeing her this distant and upset made my heart break. I don't know what to do."

"_She'll pull through this, and so will you. You're both tough, Mac."_

"Thanks, Don. I was wondering if I could go pick up Zoe in a bit; maybe letting Stella see her will help her feel a bit better."

"_Sounds like a plan. Jess and I will see you in a bit." _

Mac hung up the phone and headed towards his car. He knew that this was going to be a difficult and trying situation for them, but they were going to get through it as a family.

* * *

Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything? You know you want to push that white and green button so that you can tell me what you thought of this chapter. Just fall into temptation already and please REVIEW this chapter! Any little note would be greatly appreciated. I know this chapter was a bit more heartbreaking than usual, but I promise that the Taylor family will pull through! All my love ~messermonroe125


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